Interloper
by SilverCrystal029
Summary: Pursued by an ancient lover and cursed with immortality, Remy just wants to die. Desperate and reeling from tragedy, he departs on a final plan to achieve peace: Court Rogue and kill her when she falls for him. Knowing she is lovesick and isolated, he plans to have his mark removed. But, what happens when he learns there's more to Rogue and more to forever?
1. Prologue: Forever

_He could watch her read tarot all day. Tarot and other mystical things went against the old ways. The old gods. Those who dabbled in fortune telling, New Astrology were deemed wicked. Dark sided. Others. And that was true for the woman and the man. Adam and Eve. Some of the first of their very own kinds. He watched slender, mocha colored hands glow with a faint purple and red light. She pictured his red and black eyes and drew. He watched her unflinchingly from beneath brassy hair. _

_He's wrapped in dirty, sun bleached cloths. Covered, except for wicked eyes. Remy was an orphaned bastard, but he was a mutant, too. And Baella was a goddess. One of The Firsts. Where he was one of many, she was one of very few. One of the first psychics, standing in league with En Sabah Nur. But right now, she was reading one man's fortune._

_"See the devil... The red god. A__nd the lost cardinal of religion..." She purred to him in a silky voice. He had no idea what it meant, but he could listen to her talk all day. He smirked, marveling at the red and blue card. _

_"What does'it mean?" He drawled, studying her beautiful, cat like features. Her hair so dark it was almost purple. She grinned. _

_"That's for you to find out, silly." He placed his hand over top of hers, holding her violet stare. _

_"More fun when ya tell me." _

* * *

Remy opened his eyes, a sigh flying from his lips. How many times can you dream of forever? He was tired of finding out. He can't count the days, weeks, years any longer. Time stopped when _she_ died. He was going to end it all, all of it. And, he was going to use a little X-Man to do it. He lays in bed, shirtless as he stares at the ceiling of his crappy apartment.

He remembers her just like yesterday, so easy to charm. Just a longing stare was all it took, for her. He chuckles at how pathetic and almost sad it was. He used to not be able to bare the thought. Not just killing of the innocent, Remy had done a lot of killing in his millennia of living. But, to die he'd have to slaughter a woman who loved him. Who _trusted_ him.

He can still see Baella's fury, those purple eyes ablaze.

_"You stole from one who gave you everything. Would've given you everything!" _

He shakes his head, shoving the bitter memory from his mind. Just one day without going over the mistake he made thousands of years ago. That was all he asked. It was over and done with, the bed he made was being laid in a thousand years later. He shifts his mind to a better memory, though not without irony. The first time he saw the Rogue. He'd been stalking and studying her for a long time, before.

For a thief like him, her gifts piqued his interest a long time ago. He has thought about romancing her earlier, being a svengali and stealing her away, but their paths took different turns. And, she would always be waiting.

_The battle spun out of control, fast. Explosions were heard, and Rogue was quickly separated from her team. She slipped a glove off and crept quietly. 'No matter,' She thought. The stranger with the caesar was nearby, she would take his power and lay into the Acolytes her own damn self. She was only slightly bigger than Kitty, and so silent on her feet she surprised Wolverine at times. _

_The element of surprise kept her alive. Mystique had drilled that into her. But, he wasn't like the Brotherhood oafs. Not even like the other Acolytes. He's done his research, yearned quietly for the high school girl despite knowing it's wrong. Watched her undress in her room, steal away to the garden to read. Enter the gym by herself to keep her skills sharp. _

_He knew her as well as they did, and he knew this moment would come. He could only smile, eyes hidden by normie contacts for mission. But, his charm is just as strong a she stares at him, unsure what's pulling her closer. She can't touch. Boys don't notice her with Jean and Kitty around. She didn't catch feelings. So, why was she gazing into his eyes, wanting to see what they really look like? __He cocks an eyebrow and he's got her. She can't move._

_He moves close and she shakes, just like he knew she would. _

_Before she knew it, in her hands was a card. A glowing, queen of hearts. One she smiled at, before it nearly took her hand off. _

He'd had her hooked since then. He'd almost feel bad for it if he had any other choice. This was a last ditch plan he'd put into effect some time ago. There was nothing else to be done. He didn't want the mortal coil anymore, damn anyone he had to take with him. Besides, she was a terribly sad girl. New Orleans had showed him that. To make her an angel seems like a mercy, a gift...

He tossed in bed, disturbed by his own thoughts. He'd been alive for too long. _'Damn you... Bealla. Damn you.'_


	2. Arrival

"Gambit? That_ really_ you?" Rose petals scattered from above as the figure stood, his trench coat billowing like a cape. He grinned at her, a crocodile's smile as the sun shined over her silvery bangs. The light reflected off of his irises as he gazed at her, making her feel wanted with just a stare. Like he'd been fighting to get back to her this whole time.

He drops a card and the wind carries it to her, along with his kiss. "Miss me?" She wrinkles her nose and sticks her tongue out of perfectly painted, blue lips.

"Nah." He wrapped his arms around her like it was the most natural thing, like Rogue even liked hugs. She was lying, he could always tell. She'd been waiting for him to show up and look after her, like he promised. For a moment, just the warmth cycling through each other was enough.

At least... That's how he thought returning to the institute would go.

* * *

What he really learned was that the mansion installed silent alarms. Rogue stood in front of Kitty and Kurt with a book in her hands. The seasons were starting to change. She had one of Wolverine's leather jackets on, an emerald green hoody underneath, and faded black motorcycle pants. She's still heavy handed with makeup, but her eyes are rimmed in black and lips in a dark red. She was scowling, eyeing her roommate and younger sibling with a frigid glare. One, at nineteen, is much warmer than it used to be.

But, the girl still loved her alone time, a novel tucked in her hand. "Vhy don't you read it in_ here_, vhile Kitty and I vatch a movie?" Her adoptive brother suggested with a grin. She only arched an eyebrow, looking between him and Kitty. She was swallowed in one of Piotr's massive, blue sweatshirts (she never wore her own clothes, anymore). Kurt in a sleek black sweater and a gold chain his sister had gotten for him.

"Cause... Then I wouldn't be_ alone._" She reminded him, blankly. He only scratched his head.

"Oh, right." She turned and walked outside, noticing the lawn lights flashing in distress. _'Shit,'_ She thought. Someone had tripped off the silent alarm Logan had spent a lot of time installing. She dropped her book and took off running, much to Kitty and Kurt's confusion.

"What was that?" Kitty cried, looking around for what she hadn't noticed. She tucked short hair behind her ear.

"Dunno," Kurt answered with a cocked eyebrow, his tail swishing in agitation.

Rogue's combat boots slammed the ground as she raced towards the source of the intrusion. Sure, most of her teammates had social lives. Romantic lives. Where there was a gaping hole for Rogue, she filled with training. Practicing. Honing her skills as an X-Man. And, she'd been itching to get rid of some pent up energy.

But, she wasn't ready to see the silhouette of a trench coat on the horizon. A staff, glinting in the sun. Red and black eyes leering evilly at her. Rogue's breath caught in her throat. What was _he_ doing here? Was he back for her? Another teammate? A student? A long buried, irrational rage bubbled up inside of her. They had left on somewhat sentimental terms, but she'd forgotten that.

All she can remember is absorbing his deceit, how flippantly he stole her. Like her life didn't matter or wasn't as hard as his. And maybe she survived it, but she'd be damned if he stole a more vulnerable kid to help him on his thefts or the Young And The New Orleans.

_"Chére,"_ He barked down to her as her face twisted into a snarl. He flipped his staff behind his head as he glided down in front of her. She can't even contain her surprise and excitement. "Mis-" He reached for her face but she slapped his hand away. He frowned, realizing he'd severely misjudged the situation. _"Ro-"_ She grabbed his wrist and cranked it the wrong way. Remy exhaled in surprise when he looked in her eyes and saw... Tears?_ 'Oh god,'_ He thought. He'd upset a woman and disappeared for two years. How could he be so-

_"Swamp rat."_ She hissed, her eyes locked with his. She released his wrist but her elbow came flying at him, barely blocked by his forearm.

_"Rogue-"_

"Come to kidnap me a_ second_ time?" She swung again, her gloves grazing the tip of his nose. He backed up in shock. "Or maybe steal a little kid this time, help ya keep your little _thefts,_ up?" He pressed his mouth in a grim line. Why wouldn't she think that? He had shown up, interrupted her life, then inserted her in his own drama. Then, disappeared.

_"Chére,_ Remy no-"

"Dont' call me that!" He narrowly moved out of the way of a graceful kick, her hands clutched in fists. She lunged for him again and he was forced to hold his staff up in defense.

"C'mon now, Rogue. Lemm-" He paled when the skies grew black, and thunder crashed overhead. Magneto had told him enough about the weather witch. She was no student of Xavier's, she was as powerful as he was. And, she sounded angry. Rogue huffed as the humidity rose, then harsh winds whipped behind her. She looked so beautiful, less cliche than when he last saw her. Freckles mottled her skin, hair that waved naturally and hung just above her shoulders. Her skin glowing through cracks of lightning, he froze as he stared at her.

Seconds later, the silver haired mutant was floating behind Rogue, her eyes white.

Remy stepped back, maybe this hadn't been a good idea. But, when Wolverine tackled him from the side and slammed him onto the lawn, he _knew it_ wasn't. Rogue crossed her arms as lighting struck right beside Logan and Remy. The New Orleans native watched her in awe as the storm raged. "Explain yourself. I will not miss again." Logan held his claws up for emphasis as Remy thought.

Storm would fry Logan if she struck them, so he knew it was a bluff. But, as he stared into the Canadian's eyes, he saw no bluff. He would cut him first and ask forgiveness, later. "Say goodbye, _pretty boy_..." He snarled, his voice so low it was barely audible. Remy swallowed as he began to press his blades to his flesh. Ororo didn't say anything, but Rogue huffed.

"Aw, Ah _had_ him, y'didn't have to come out here. Ah'm almost twenty," Rogue pouted. Logan didn't take his eyes off the southerner. He hadn't forgotten the last time he'd saw him.

"He ain't strong. Or smart._ Or_ honorable..." Logan sniffed as Remy sighed. _'Kick a man while he down, why don' ya...'_ "But he _is_ crafty. Gas in the staff," He shot Rogue a dark look. "Remember? All he needs is for you to engage." He looked back down into the strange, unconventional eyes. "I say you let me cut him..." Remy can't help but notice Rogue's complexion pale when he says that. _'Fille do care...'_

"Come now, Logan." Ororo half sighed. "Is this _really_ necessary?"

"Ah was about to kick his ass. Y'don't need to kill him." He only grumbled to himself, eyeing the man as he slowly stood. Remy looked around, half expecting another attack. When none came, he burned under their expectant stares.

"Get to talkin', gumbo." He pressed a heavy fist under his goatee.

_'Perhaps we could all speak, in my office.'_ A voice rang as clear as a bell in all their minds. Remy's heart skyrocketed. What else he could see in his mind? The girl, at least, would never assume centuries old memories were his. But, could the telepath tell his true secret?_ 'Don't worry. I would not and cannot read your mind, Gambit. Only communicate in this way._'

He feels embarrassed, standing uncomfortably on the lawn. Logan was growling.

"Come, Gambit." Ororo offered, waving a hand as she gave him a curious stare. "This way,"

* * *

Rogue was leaned against a wall, her head dipped in annoyance. Remy was going to ask to stay. Logan and Scott were going to have conniptions. She was only present in the telepath's office because she knew she would be a topic of discussion. The New Orleans incident. She figured she might as well be there if she had to have her name tossed around like she was an invalid.

"He_ takes,_ Charles." His glance wandered to Rogue. "He's done it, before. He's in a thief guild-"

"_I_ used to thieve, Logan. Would you rather _I_ leave?" His face darkened as Scott watched from the corner of the room, his jaw clenched.

"You _know_ that's different, darlin'. And_ y'ain't_ carry the habits into adulthood." He was struggling not to unsheathe his claws. Gambit had barely spoken, making him even angrier.

"Piotr _was_ allowed join the team. Todd, too." Kitty had kept her relationship with the Acolyte a secret, at first. But now, they had all but Logan's blessing. She didn't really feel bad for Remy, but fair was fair. And, she didn't want them thinking they had to cast him out for_ her_ protection. She couldn't care less. Logan huffed in exasperation as Charles only watched, his fingers interlocked.

"We know Todd is harmless." Scott answered, speaking finally. His glasses were locked on Remy. "And, Piotr tried to turn himself in once we rescued Illyana. I'm not so sure Gambit has a good bone in his body." The Remy in Rogue's head had a reaction to this. He wasn't that awful, wasn't he?

"Oh, Scott..." Ororo sighed, her head beginning to hurt.

"Why don't we ask Rogue how she feels about... _That_ incident." The room went quiet when Charles spoke. Rogue's earlobes burned. Everyone had their own opinions about how she got kidnapped. She kicked off the wall, her icy stare on Gambit.

"It was low. _And,_ sleazy." Remy dipped his head when he realized how much he'd truly offended the girl. She deserved better than that. "But... He had the right thing in mind. He wanted to help his dad. I would do the same for one o'yall." Logan rolled his eyes.

"Then _why_ were ya goin' secret agent on him on the lawn?" Remy noticed a slight smile on her face.

"To get him back for last time." She placed her hands on her hips. "Wouldn't it be better if he were here for a while? Where we could, Ah dunno... Keep an eye on him? Or somethin'?" Ororo stifled a chuckle, at least for Remy's sake. He looked like his face might crack like glass. Charles stroked his face in thought as Scott shook his head.

"Sounds like_ trouble_, to me." Scott chimed in, his finger pointing at the ground. "And, you don't need trouble. When he comes arou-"

"We _have_ been in need of another team member. Remy would need considerably less training than even the New Recruits before we let him on the field. Then, there's the students still getting acclimated to the Danger Room..." The weather mutant brought up slyly. Logan snarled, his claws shooting out in feral protest.

"No way," Scott began, flustered. _"Storm-_"

"Remy, do you wish to join the X-Men? Is that why you are here?" He'd expected being grilled, but this was the 9th degree. He looked around at the angry, curious eyes on him. Then, he landed on her grey ones.

"Yes. Das why Remy here, not to start trouble. _Désolé._" He scuffed his boots awkwardly along the carpet. Charles stroked his chin before smiling.

"Very well. Ororo, could you see Remy to a spare room in the boy's wing?" Charles didn't wince when Logan let out another animalistic yell.

"There's a spare room _right next to mine_, 'Ro." He growled, his face in a sneer. Ororo only chuckled. "You've got some good stealth skills, keep my senses sharp." Remy kept his face cool and even, thousands of years of living paying off.

"Welcome to the X-Men, Remy. I hope you survive the experience." She walked out, white hair splaying behind her.

_"Bon._" Scott shook his head, knowing it was best to keep his mouth shut. But, he stopped in front of Remy with a scowl.

"I'll have my eye on you." Remy was about to take the opportunity for the joke, but Rogue's glare silenced him. He only nodded. He turned his attention to the psychic.

"Ah, Merci. Remy won't let you down." The look in his eye hardened.

Charles nodded as both he and Rogue moved towards the door. He only sighed once they left.

Remy wiped his forehead when they entered the hallway. That was much harder than he'd ever expected. He looked down at the girl, showing a little more milky chest than she had on the bayou. But, her clothes were soaking wet, and it left no imagination to the woman she was growing into. She's traded the goth schtick for leather jackets and boots.

His stare lingers on the neck line of the black cami she has on, and the alabaster bust beneath it. She catches his stare and she doesn't look pleased. "_Why_ ya go t'bat for Remy in dere..." He pressed forward, like he did the first day they met. This time, she didn't move. She stared through his Mardi Gras eyes.

"Don't get any ideas. Fair is fair." He almost believes her. Those kicks and punches had been real. And, she meant them. He crossed his arms and smirked down at her. For such a holy terror she sure was petite. He could fit her in his trench coat.

"Very well." He leaned back, surprised and tantalized to find the girl so immovable. She's just as obstinate as he left her. Maybe more, that hand hold and touch went a long way back then. Her prices have gone up. "De way y'handle y'self, _y'tink_ dey be over it." He rolled his neck, careful to keep his face cool. All he got was a scoff in response.

When he looked up from his nails, the girl was frowning fiercely at him from halos of silver hair. Her eyes look too old to be just nineteen. Maybe it's because she's got chunks of his long life floating in there. "Ya_ really_ jus' don't get it, do you?" She folded her arms, her stare managing to make Remy feel embarrassed. Like a child. "Look, Ah know ya had a lot of serious stuff goin' on back home. Ah get it, the south is... Dramatic."

He watched her carefully as she wrapped her arms around her slender rib cage, one that's begging to be held but nobody does. She really did get it. The south was suffocating. So much tradition and history. "But, a lot of stuff happened here, too." Apocalypse. He knows, he should've been there to support and help. But there were hits out on every member of his guild and "family". "Right before _you_ kidnapped me, _Mesmero_ kidnapped me. And, forced me to touch every mutant you can think of, includin' you."

He remembers that night, her stalking through the compound. The kiss. Frantically searching for her. "Before that, my powers already had a meltdown because Ah'd touched too many." Remy's face softened. "That day ya took me, Ah fought with Kurt. We _never_ fight," He sees tears forming in her eyes and his stomach sinks. He'd made everything worse. He remembers how bitter, angry, and exhausted she seemed. How he really tried to lighten her up. "When Ah didn't come home they thought Ah'd been hurt or hurt_ myself._ Or worse, kidnapped again. Left dead... You didn't jus' hurt me, you hurt _them_-"

She gasped when he grabbed her slender wrist, warm beneath a jacket and an unzipped hoody. "Ah'm sorry, Rogue. Remy was selfish. Ah..."

_"Gumbo."_ Logan's claws were still out, his face red from the proximity between the two southern mutants. "Room's down _here."_ He gestured with his claw, studying the rare, red tinge on Rogue's cheeks. "Stripe, why don't you help Katherine with dinner? The youngin's loved your potatoes and chicken fried steak. Her casserole surprise... Not so much." He went green just from the memory.

Remy watched as her face lit up for Logan, like it tended to. She tucked her silver bangs behind her ear and he studied the earrings in her cartilage. "Okay. Don't want the hazmat guys to come again..." She broke away from Remy's side to head to the kitchen. Logan grinned at Remy as he passed by.

"Just realized we forgot to assign laundry duty, this week. Might wanna get started before dinner." He clapped a hand on the cajun's shoulder as he grumbled. It was going to take forever to die.

* * *

_Apocalypse stroked Baella's lip with a massive, grey finger. She was woman. She felt more than him, different things. She thought the other mutants were her people. He had seen before his time and after. The toils of mutants beneath them would be their end. He was back to do it this time, and the Twelve needed to stand together. To seize control of the world while they still could. _

_"They will drown us. I have seen it, Baella Celaris. Felt it. Lived it." He stared into her face, so timeless. Like a beautiful sphyinx. Hair the color of a black hole, shrouding her. "Even if they are our kind, they must be subservient of us. There are those of us who would betray their own race. Time is only a cycle repeating in that." Baella watched, the mutants under their protection building a new Pyramid a day. _

_"I believe." She responded, her stare on one mutant in particular. The only one with different eyes. "We can rule together. Mutants shall inherit the earth." The only thing En Sabah Nur hadn't figured out was how to get his urgency transferred to others. She was wrong, and only he knew why. He stared out over the scorching sands. She would have to see for herself. _


	3. History

_A/N/: * Anyone who's checked out my profile, thanks so much. I watch my brother's girls for him and it's where I get most of my writing done. If it seems like I jump around a lot or have abandoned a story, I haven't forgotten. I try to write things out while I have the inspiration and it's fresh. If it seems I skip on a story/plot I'm sorry, I'll be back! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. _

* * *

_Today was a new day. Apocalypse was gone. Whether he left of his own accord or was destroyed, nobody could know. But, he would never return. And the Old Ways will stay gone with him. Baella was the new way. She would stand for the test of time, Apocalypse had willed it so. She would live forever, and the mutants to come would have her blood in their veins. _

_She could see it so perfectly, a future that Apocalypse was too narrow minded to imagine. Today was the day, she would lead her people to freedom. Humans would know who they are, and they would be the supreme race. _

_And, she would ask Remy to be her king. To live forever. To drink the blood of the First Ones and become one. She'd wanted to ask him for so long. He was the one thing the goddess wanted. But, as she sought him in sheer, black robes, he was nowhere to be found. Her subjects were in distress, and when she reached the throne room she understood why. Ancient armor, passed from En Sabah Nur's hands to her own, were gone. _

_And, so was Remy. Prince of the Thieves Guild. 'He wouldn't...' _

_"Baella, your grace!" _

The same, amethyst eyes opened, but in a different time. Baella was synonymous with forever, just like her lost love. She kept raven locks cropped in a bob, blunt bangs shielding her eyes. And she was draped in a black, form fitting dress with silver armor plating the bust. She sat on her marbled throne. Alone. Waiting. Waiting for Remy to move. To do something. Anything.

She had such big plans. Such a world she wanted to see, and he ruined everything. She would wait forever to get him back for it, they both had it.

"Goddess..." She had earned a whole army of winged mutants like Angel. They were more common in the past, almost dying out before the Age Of Enlightenment for their biblical implications. Few were transformed to immortals to defend her as her royal army. Her Valkyrie Guard. And Jaesa was her general. The leader of her army, and one who spent most of their time with her. She was the color of sand with honey colored eyes. Her wings were delicate and feminine, but powerful.

Her hair was full of platinum twists and dreads that went down her back like vines. She was built like an amazonian, strong. Lean. With toned arms and legs from thousands of battles, to carry her to her queen's victory. A true warrior. And, she'd do _anything_ for Baella. She had done the deed last time, killing Remy's lover on the goddess' word (even when he never planned to kill her).

_"Bella, NON-" _

She twirled the jeweled daggers in her hand expertly. "He's courting again, your grace." She delivered solemnly. Baella moved slightly, her lips pursed.

"Is he?" Her slender fingers began to glow with an ominous, purple light. Her hair covered violet eyes. _"Who?" _Jaesa couldn't hide her sneer.

"A sad little mutant girl." Her eyebrow arched. "Vulnerable. He appears to want to die." Baella chuckled, now. She held her hands out and focus, bringing up Remy's current position in the Xavier Institute. Then, Rogue's face.

"Her? _Really_." Her beautiful face twisted into a sneer. _"Tīkun Jaesa._ Go. Pay them a visit." Gold glitter went everywhere as Jaesa unfurled her wings. She would enjoy this.

"Yes, Goddess."

* * *

Rogue eyed the cajun with narrowed, grey eyes. The past few days had gone by incident free (Logan and Scott had been on high alert), but she couldn't figure the southerner out. Even the version of him in her head struck her as the kind of guy who was in it fo_r something_. But, everyone hated dish duty at the institute. And every time she got dinner and dish duty, he stuck around to help.

"Jus' because ya stick around to help me wash dishes..." She wagged a yellow sponge around, her elbow length gloves covered in yellow rubber ones. Her hair was tossed into a fluffy bun as she scoured pots and pans, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Doesn't mean ya get brownie points." She flexed her hip defensively. "With me,_ or_ the others." She knew he felt the lingering stares and noticed the sudden entrances upon his arrival because_ she_ did. He chuckled to himself in amusement. She sure didn't let that guard down for anything._ 'Good girl.'_

"Gotta repay you for dat jambalaya, _chére._" He mimicked a chef's kiss and her earlobes burned. "Sure ya ain' from NOLA? Was mighty good..." She sucked her teeth. "N' Ah would know." She snorted at him.

"Oh, like _you_ cook."

_"Oui._" She rolled her eyes, but she lost the battle with her smile. Why did he have to look so cute and casual? She was a little over the skin suit he liked to wear. It shrouded him in darkness for no reason. But, his hair a little messy. A normal, faded blue t shirt. Black wranglers... She steeled her focus back to dirty pots and pans. He was the last thing she needed. "So Remy kin appreciate good cookin'. Leas' he can do is help wit da dishes."

He found schmoozing her startlingly easy. Maybe, he wasn't schmoozing at all. "Hmm." Rogue scrubbed at a pot with particular vigor. "Well, you should trade dinner duty this week for some of your laundry. See if your money is where ya mouth is." Now, he raised an eyebrow. Who wanted to do laundry in a house full of mutants? He hated it.

"Hate cookin' dat much?" He questioned with a smirk. Then, he realized she was trying to give him an easier chore. To be nice. Logan gave her all the good chores cause he thinks she had it hard enough, and most students agree (or know that they'd better). He presses his mouth in a line when the girl doesn't force him to admit that. "Sure, dat sound good to me."

She seems pleased in herself, clad in only a black tank top. She opened her mouth to say something, but he never found out what. A deafening crash was heard as a winged woman crashed through the glass patio doors. Remy grabbed Rogue and threw her behind him, instinctually. His hands were glowing with pink energy, shocked into action._ 'NO.' _He thought, desperate to get Rogue far away. "We got-"

"Mutant X-Man:_ Rogue_." She purred, pointing a sharp, bladed tonfa towards the teenage mutant. She looked up at Remy in shock, but he didn't seem to be anymore in the know than she was. She stumbled up off her knees, wondering how many mutants there were out there like Warren Worthington. She seemed a little more ethereal than Angel, but they both had wings._ 'What?' _The stranger's eyes smoldered beneath tangled dreads.

"Me?" Rogue responded, counting the seconds before more teammates showed. She removed her rubber gloves. "What the _heck_ did Ah do?"

"ROGUE!" Compact Laura flew in the kitchen first, followed closely by the man she was cloned from. Jaesa barely repelled her with the iron wrist cuffs on her arm, hissing with fury. Logan took a minute to examine her dated, almost biblical valkyrie armor. He'd never seen anything like this, before. And, he'd seen a lot. "What the hell?" He turned to make sure she and the cajun seemed alright.

"You dare touch a_ goddess_?" Her stare pierced through the former Weapon X project. Laura snarled in a hunched position, her claws out. Jaesa only smiled at Rogue, her weapon twirled at her. She was trying to get past Remy, one of her gloves off, but he wouldn't let her.

"Easy, _petite."_ His eyes were locked on the mutant in front of them.

"What the _hell_ is goin' on?" Logan tried, listening as footsteps thundered closer.

"You answer to Baella and the White Order. _Not_ the other way around, mutant." Logan didn't want to think of how _he_ was a mutant and she wasn't. He scraped the tips of his claws together with a sneer.

"Never _heard_ of 'em." She pointed the blade of her weapon in his face.

"You have been warned." Rogue shouted as her wings began to flap.

"Warned about _what?_" Scott demanded, Jean at his side. He had a hand on his visor, but he didn't shoot as she rose to the air.

"You haven't warned us! Warned us about what!" Rogue screamed through cupped hands. Jaesa only smiled as she shout back out of the hole she created. Logan growled as he put his claws away.

"Everyone alright?" Jean called, inspecting the room for damage. Her hair was standing on end. That woman was no ordinary mutant. "What _was_ that?"

"I dunno?" Scott answered, inspecting Rogue despite her protests. "You two okay? You were in here when she busted in." Rogue nodded slowly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Remy didn't answer. There was sweat on his brow and a twisted look in his eye. He unhooked himself from Rogue's side and stomped out the front door without a word._ 'Why did that chick single me out? Does he know?'_ She moved to follow, but Logan held an arm up.

"Let him go, kid. Give him a minute." He knew when a guy just needed to be alone. Concern shined in her eyes, but she did what she was told and leaned back on her heels.

"Okay." She said, sniffling as Kurt and Kitty settled beside her._ 'What's going on?'_

Kurt quirked an eyebrow as Remy's stormy demeanor. "Sheesh. Vhat's gotten into_ him_? He doesn't have to replace the doors..." The blue mutant mumbled, his eye on his sister. Why did he always do the dishes with her? Or, watch TV in the rec room when she did? Or, help her organize the library when it was her turn. He basically did double the chore load, and the teleporter was catching on.

"Yeah," Kitty stared at the mess left behind. "He's usually all smiles when he's around_ you_." Rogue went red again, redder than Jean's hair or Scott's glasses. Logan crossed his arms, scenting her embarrassment a mile a way.

"Oh,_ is he_?" His chilly glare landed on the stripe banged mutant, who was twiddling her fingers. Jean broke away from Scott's side. Gambit was a dead spot to telepaths, she already knew that. But, for the first time, she could sense him. Emotionally. He was being torn to shreds on the inside by something, something she could feel, but not understand.

Scott frowned when she went to follow after him, clad in familiar khaki pants and a short, tight X shirt. "Jean, w-"

"Something's wrong, Scott. I'm gonna try to talk to him-"

_"You are?_" Rogue, Logan, and Scott all answered at once. "You don't need to go after h-"

"He's upset about something." She answered solemnly, tears gathering in her eyes. Scott's expression softened. As Jean's power grew, so did her empathy. She couldn't help but channel the feelings of her friends and teammates, even him. It was as real as when Rogue had flashes of her memories. The stronger she got, the harder it was to control. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her face. _"Really_ upset, I... I have to at least try to let him know that the professor, s_omebody_ could help."

Logan can see a barely contained response bubbling up inside Rogue. Both Kurt and Kitty made themselves scarce, knowing when it came to Jean and Rogue, it was always complicated. Sure, she didn't like Remy. And, they were barely affiliated beyond New Orleans. But she let him into her private moments, little by little. And, he was good at companionable silence. Something Jean, was not. And though the two were much closer than they were, and even friends, they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things.

Logan can sense the turmoil in her like the changing of the tide, and places a hand on her back. "Simmer down." He reminds her. She doesn't have to be defensive, Jean only ever means help. It's what friends do. He'd told her, time and time again. Rogue evened her breathing, her stare fixated on her shoes. Scott didn't want her to anymore than she did, but she tended to be right about these things.

Scott smiled in defeat. This was one of the reasons he loved her. "Okay." She left the tense atmosphere to follow the southern mutant. He hadn't gone far, he was staring at the setting sun and trying to shove his hands into a trench coat he wasn't wearing.

"Remy?"

_"Bee, ya don' understand..." He squirmed from the blonde's touch. "Remy not jokin. Dis real." He stared at her tan colored turtle neck and frivolous, black beret. He never expected to find someone who would make him want to live, even if it was for eternity. She was smart and dangerous; his equal. He found himself bad at love after centuries of trying. He'd never come close to having a way to become mortal again, then he met Belladonna. _

_Stubborn, fiery, sweet, and his partner in crime. He never came close to holding a dagger to her breast. Not once. But, they couldn't be together if she didn't know the truth. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled, carrying the scent of magnolias. "Stop bein' so serious," She rifled her hands through unruly, auburn hair. "Lighten up, kid. If what ya sayin' is true, well.." She flashed a dazzling smile at him and he melted a little. "How is it bad thing?" _

_She was impossible, but that's what he expected her to say. Nothing scared her. That's why he loved her so much. "Bella..." He held her close, his grip on her tightening. He wanted forever. He needed her to become like him before Baella took everything away. If she knew he chose to live with her and would change her, Belladonna was a dead woman walking. And, he couldn't have that. "Join me. Live forever. With me." Her blue eyes went wide. "I can change you." _

_Did he mean forever? Like him? Her? He loved her this much? "Remy Etienne..." She stood on her tip toes to kiss him, but he spun around her and shoved before their lips met._

_"Run, hurry!" His staff extended and his hands were glowing. _

_"REMY," There was a blue haired, blue winged Valkyrie staring at them both in the distance. Baella was always with him, he was convinced she was in his thoughts. They knew he planned to make her immortal before he did. She only glared at him, her impossibly long hair in a shiny, thick blue braid. Her skin is almost white and her eyes two sapphires boring through her. She was smiling. 'No, damn it. Not now!'_

_Bella and Remy had been in enough life threatening situations for her to know that she needed to listen. She pulled a gun from her waist and took off running. Remy had powers. And, he was apparently immortal. Not even angels shocked the girl after fighting her way out of the thieve's guild, together. But, a lean, brown skinned woman stood in front of her made her jump. _

_"You really think I'd let someone else kill her, LeBeau?" Red and black eyes went wide. _

_"Bella, NON-" The arrow glittered through the air as it sailed right through her heart. _

"Not a good time,_ rouge."_ He told her, a cigarette pressed tightly between his lips. He thought about that every day, but it didn't get any easier. Jean sees the tortured expression a mile away, one as intense as Logan's. It's overwhelming as she stands there, watching the sunset.

"I know." She admitted, her eyes shut. "That's why I came. I'm an empath, Remy. Do you know what that is?" He would normally love to charm the red head, if only to get a rise out of Scott and Rogue. But, he doesn't have it in him with Belladonna on his mind.

"Your professor t'inks my charm is an empathetic ability." Jean nodded slowly.

"Right. I can't read your mind." Her face darkened. "But, I _can_ feel your feelings. And no, not by choice. It just... Happens." His eyes flickered to the telepath, but he didn't say anything. If she really believed he would spill to her, she was crazier than Magneto had always let on. "Talk to someone, Remy. Even people like Logan and Rogue have learned when to tag someone in for help. You're not alone, anymore. You're with the X-Men."

He sighed. He'd heard many a woman to plead to him to open his heart after sex. Let them in. Tell them why he never slept, he stayed awake all night. And, he never broke down before. That last person he told, died. Jean deflated when he flicked the cigarette and stood. "Ain' _nothin_' y'all can do fo' Remy." The X-Men were too good. So worried with helping_ him_ when he was conning Rogue, he would do what he had to but it still made him sick. He walked off as Scott and Logan approached her.

"Curfew's nine,_ swamp boy._" Logan called after him as he glided over the fence. Jean sighed as Scott inspected her, his suspicious stare on the way Remy retreated.

"Think you helped?" Scott asked, forcing himself to sound interested. When her face didn't lighten he pulled her close.

"I think it's a lot worse than I thought." Logan sighed. Rogue had been tortured enough, she didn't need some haunted boy trailing behind her like a lost dog. Mostly, because she'd be inclined to fix. And, she didn't need a full plate. He ushered Jean towards the institute.

"Somethin's wrong. Why don't we go talk to Chuck." It sounded like a suggestion, but they all knew it wasn't. She nodded, her head swimming in thought. What exactly would she tell him?


	4. Chances & Creeds

Rogue watched out into the darkness for Gambit's figure (she would say she just wanted some air, which was half true), but she wanted to be sure he'd return. He couldn't blow up her life twice and then disappear the minute things got a little hard. Well, he could. And, that would suck for her, but she wouldn't be surprised. If he was smart that was exactly what he was doing. But, something in her told him he would be back. And, that she should be waiting for him.

She hugged herself, shivering in an oversized Metallica shirt, long gloves, and one of Logan's flannels shrugged over. "Wha'cha_ doin', chére_?" She jumped to see that he had entered the mansion from another way. His stare was tired, absolutely exhausted. From more than it seemed than just this day. Rogue dropped her eyes when he leaned against the wall. He looked like a shadow in an all black X-Suit and his trench coat. She tried to steel her face.

"Needed some air. After earlier," She looked back out over the lawn, her face wistful. For what, he couldn't know. "Everyone hovers." She feels a prick in her heart at Jean fleeing to counsel him, and she doesn't know why. She was jealous of everything, so she'd learned to get over it. She didn't want him anyhow, all she ever thought about was Scott... She shook her head and stopped the train of thought. Why did she care, again?

"Right." His expression didn't lighten. He took a deep breath. "Y'okay?" She studied his face before realizing his hands were singed. He gasped when she approached him quickly, taking his hands gently into her own.

_"Y-You'r_e..." They were burned, at least second degree. And, his gloves were badly singed. "Remy, what'd d-"

"De angel." He cut in, staring blankly at his hands. "Startled_ moi_, Ah guess. Remy need t'light somet'in up_. Preferably_ not his hands..." He mused, remembering when he watched Belladonna be shot. _'Did it den, too...'_ He watched as she rubbed her fingers so delicately with her own.

"C'mon, let Dr. Hank look at this. He'll have somethin' for the pain." He sees the anxiety in her eyes, like this reminds her of someone else. He gingerly took his hands back, a grimace on his face.

"Don' hurt." He answered softy. What he meant was that he deserved it._ 'Only saved ya so Ah could kill ya m'self...'_ He gripped a fist and she winced, imagining what it felt like.

"Don't be like that. Take it from someone who learned the hard way..." She led him inside the school, grey eyes soft. "Let someone help." He followed her silently. He never liked taking help in all his years, but if he had to he preferred it would be from her.

* * *

Jean, Logan and Charles all sat in office with serious faces. He had sensed the unrest easily and had been expecting a visit from someone. "It's quite alright, Jean." He insisted, dark eyes studying her worry. She could never interrupt him. He loved his students equally, but his bond with Jean as a fellow telepath was too strong to deny. _'What has she felt?'_ He wondered. "What's been troubling you?" He prayed every day that it wasn't her powers.

Logan was just as in tune with others feelings. Whatever he sensed had been enough to escort her up to his room. "Well, it's Gambit, professor. He... Well, _I_ felt something earlier. After he and Rogue were attacked. It was too strong to ignore." Logan stifled a growl. He didn't want Rogue chasing after Gambit and certainly not Jean. Charles nodded, his mind working quickly.

"Right. And, you reached out in an attempt to help?" She tucked fiery hair behind her ear. Charles didn't have to read her mind to know her so well.

_"Right_, but it went about as well as could be expected." The bald telepath stroked his chin in thought.

"Maybe, he jus' wants to be left alone." Logan suggested, his face impassive. "When _I_ feel the way he does... That's what I'd want." He ignored Jean's glowering look.

"No, I fear Jean is right. I have also sensed this... Cloud, so to speak. It hovers over him, oppressively. Quite frankly, I can't tune it out..." He massaged a temple gently. What was intruding upon his mental barriers? Logan leaned up seriously as he realized it could be more serious than he thought. He untucked his hands from worn jean pockets. "He will not ask for the help he needs unless he feels comfortable. That..." He tried not to stare at Logan. "Could take some time." He noticed Jean smiling into her hands. "Unless?"

"Well, okay. Hear me out." She sat up at attention in an arm chair. Logan wiped a hand over his face in annoyance. He was not going to want to hear her out. "I've noticed what the professor said. Today, it got worse than ever. But, when he's around _Rogue_..." Charles leaned his head on his fingers.

_"Nuh uh,_ red. No way. This_ ain't_ the bachelor. You know Rogue's..._ Vulnerable_." Logan argued, forcing his tone to not be as harsh as he wants it to be. Rogue was one thing he didn't budge on, and he was a long way to forgiving him for taking her. He was even more weary after the strange attitude he witnessed. Jean also struggled to keep her tone in check and not snap back.

"Yes. She's..._ Sensitive._ But, she's_ not_ an invalid, Logan. You trained her harder than all of us. And, we both know she doesn't let anybody around her that she doesn't want there..." Logan was growling into one of his oversized hands now, too mad to formulate coherent words. It was the absolute worst idea he could think of.

"And why _her, huh_? Feelin' guilty for throwin' you and Summer's in her face? Think they'd look _cute_ together in the gazebo? What?" He sees the fire light in her eye for a second, and it excites him as much as it scares him. They had more in common than most thought.

"Because, Logan. He _already_ trusts her." Charles cut in. Now, he understood what she meant. Even a real platonic relationship between the two of them would do wonders. And, he had seen glimpses of the future and she had that trench coat... He tried not to meddle, but maybe things were going exactly the way they were supposed to. "He deceived her and she was _still_ there for him in his time of need." Charles explained patiently. Maybe, nobody had ever showed him such kindness. The girl seems imprinted on him, too.

Logan only snorted, waving a hand full of claws. "That's because she's a_ good_ person. One_ you_ showed how to be a responsible a part of a team. And_ that's_ why I don't want Gambit anywhere near her. He's self serving, Chuck. And, she has _a lot_ to offer with powers like hers. He's already seen that." Charles frowned. Overprotective, sure. But, he wasn't necessarily wrong. They were potentially placing one of the most vulnerable students near a thief.

_"Everyone_ deserves a chance, Logan." Jean cut in, refusing to be ignored. She did feel guilty that there were carbon copies of her and Scott floating around in Rogue's head, but her intuition was never wrong. "Years ago, you didn't even think you'd still _be_ here. Much less, teaching and instructing classes of children." His face darkens. It was a low blow. If Logan hated anything, it was praise. It made him feel awkward and embarrassed and suddenly incapable of protecting a school of kids.

His face turned scarlet as Jean held his stare. "I put in a lot of dues, kid. And, I'm _still_ making up for my ledger. I like people to earn my chances the way_ I_ earned mine." Jean huffed. Like Scott, he was incorrigible.

"The sooner he can open up and feel comfortable here, the sooner he can start to heal and ask for help with that pain." Charles insisted. Jean turned on her most sympathetic face and Logan groaned. She was getting a little too old for the pouts.

"And face it, Logan. The more you let Rogue speculate and try to keep them apart, the more she will just torture herself about it." He finally sighed. This, he knew. The girl was her own worst enemy sometimes, absorbing the problems of others because there was no solution to her own. At least, not now. He just couldn't believe that the cajun could add anything to her life, even if _she_ added to his.

"You don't want to encourage another rebellious streak in our Rogue, do you? With a thief who's quite skilled at comings and goings..." Logan held up a hand, his head pounding at the thought.

"Fine. Enough. Fine. We'll try _y'all's_ way." He was scowling but Jean knew he was only putting on. This was only a result of his deep worry for Rogue.

"Your trust means a lot to her, Logan." She placed a hand on his shoulder and he shivered at her touch. How did she do that, know just what to say? He hated psychics but he trusted her, and he would try to trust her with Rogue. "Believe in her decision making, and she'll bend over backwards not to disappoint you." The wild man watched her, intently. He didn't know if she was playing him or not, but she'd already won. He placed a hand behind his head in discomfort.

"Yeah, well..." He mumbled, avoiding the psychic's giddy stare. "I'll try not to say I told you so." He grunted when she threw herself around him in an embrace. One that makes his stomach flutter from the warmth. She knew too well how hard it was to let go and let them just be young people, sometimes.

"Thanks, Logan." Now, he felt really embarrassed. He pried the girl off of him but sent her a gracious smile.

"I think this will be good. For all parties involved." Charles agreed with a tense smile._ 'Lord knows I am hoping so.'_

* * *

_"This_ injection here is derived from Logan's healing factor. Despite his history with experimentation, he allowed me to use his mutation to treat others. Quite a softie, that one.. It is not as fast as his, but your hands should be good as new tomorrow. You are fortunate Anna convinced you to see me." Remy smiled lamely, contemplating that he'd just called Rogue _Anna._ She'd never told him her real name, before. Anna. Fitting. Beautiful.

"Merci, _beaucoup._" He bowed slightly as his stare turned to Rogue. She was slumped in a chair, falling asleep after waiting patiently for Hank to finish. She was sweet when she slept. Deceptively peaceful compared to how she carried herself awake. Uptight._ 'She didn' have t'stay here...'_ It was like she knew how awkward he'd feel down there by himself. She was a thoughtful person, at heart. He knew she was smart, but never thought he'd be thinking of her this way.

He looked down at his hands, feeling better already. "She should get some rest." Hank offered quietly, noticing the man's stare. Remy was trying to work up the nerve to rouse the girl Logan appeared in the doorway of the infirmary. His face was set in a scowl as he lingered near Rogue's sleeping form, his eyes never leaving Remy.

_"I'll_ get'er." He offered stiffly. Remy stepped back, allowing the man to lift the girl with ease. She doesn't stir and Remy can tell he's done this before. "Should get to your room, cajun. If you're all stitched up." He tried not to sound as threatening as he usually did. Remy nodded dumbly, his stare lingering on Rogue's silver bangs.

Logan carried her silently towards her room. He wouldn't say anything, but she better not make a habit of staying up past curfew. He shook her gently in his arms when he reached her door. She moaned as he set her carefully on her feet. "Time for bed, darlin'." He told her quietly, squinting in the darkness to make sure everyone else was sleep. "Fell asleep in the infirmary."

She nodded, rubbing a sleepy eye when she remembered Gambit. _"Rem-"_

"He's alright. Hank patched him up, he's in bed." She nodded, praying he wouldn't address her quickness to worry about him. There's a strange restraint in his eyes she can't help but notice. He was never one to pull punches, not even with her. Sighing, Rogue watched as he reached in his pocket for a worn, brown wallet. "Here," He grumbled, clearly put up to this by someone. He handed her three or four crumpled bills. She picked them apart, noticing they were all hundreds. She paled. He only did this when he was off to go find himself.

"You're _leavin'_?" She half squealed, and he shushed her.

"I'm not... I do not _buy_ you off when I'm leavin'." He half snarled, resenting the implication. Rogue only crossed her arms, at that. "It's... For you. And... _Gumbo_." He squinted, forcing himself to find suitable words. He would listen to Charles and Jean, but he wouldn't encourage this. "Chuck wanted you two to do something, take your mind off of the mess from earlier. Seemed to bother him." Rogue reached a gloved hand out to feel his forehead.

"Sure you feelin' okay?" The man chuckled a little.

"You can ask that when it's _my_ idea. Now, go." He pushed her towards the door. "Bed. Pick something wholesome. Not dangerous or far from the institute. Scott and I put together a list of safe, mutant friendly places..." He let his voice trail off when he noticed her face paled face. "Jus'... Don't make me regret this, kid." He growled when she threw herself around him in a tight embrace. It wasn't really her he was worried about.

"Thank you." He waved a hand and watched her enter her room._ 'Hope you know what you're doing, Chuck.'_

* * *

The leisurely day would have to wait. Rogue awoke the next morning to a growing crowd in front of the rec room T.V, the news playing at full volume. _"Pandemonium has erupted at a Friend's Of Humanity demonstration on the polarizing topic of Mutant Registration. Much to the luck of the protestors, a feral mutant appears to have attacked the parade and is attacking indiscriminately. He's inhumanly strong and seemingly impervious to damage as he tears the streets apart. We've got live footage, Jerry?"_

_"Right, Janet. I'm downtown behind police escort at what remains of the protests. The mutant known as Sabretooth is on a rampage, attacking any and all who get in his way..."_ Rogue walked closer to the T.V as the footage cut to Sabretooth flipping over cars and screaming loudly. He was a wild, horrible man but none of them had ever seen him rage like_ this_. He looked like a demon. His eyes are white holes, unseeing as he howled like he had feelings. Like something had hurt him.

Logan's claws were out, a cup of black coffee in his hands. Scott was scowling in front of the T.V, and Remy was leaned against the wall shuffling cards. He was familiar with the mutant, and he wasn't a fan. But, Logan stooped to the television and listened carefully when Creed began to scream, tears pouring out of his eyes. _"Birdie..."_ He hissed, his voice like gravel. _"BIRDIE." _He flipped a car from underneath him.

"He's relentless! Somebody stop him!" A greasy man in a burgundy suit screamed, yanking the microphone from the anchor. "Please, for the love of god! _Do something_ about these awful mutants..." Scott turned the T.V off, grumbling.

"Who is that guy?" Logan growled.

"Graydon Creed. Leader of the Losers Of Humanity, movement." Wolverine explained, crossly. "But, hang on... Creed was sayin' somethin'." He looked around. "And he _don'_t say much." Jean frowned beside Scott.

"You understood some of that?" She questions.

"One word._ Birdie._" He sighed. He'd gone into enough beserker rages to understand what was going on. Something bad had likely happened to her. "She was... Somewhat of his associate. Maybe a friend, even. I dunno." Scott cocked an eyebrow as new mutants murmured amongst themselves. Logan was the last person expected to humanize Sabretooth.

"A _friend?_" He nodded slowly.

"As much as you can be friends with someone you fear, I reckon. But, for a sack of lard like_ Creed_... Big deal. He's not just causin' trouble. He's in a_ berserker rage_. And, Birdie... She ain't there. I think those FOH's did somethin' to her. That's bad." Jean scratched her head.

"Why, does he love her or something?" A slightly naive Kitty asked. Piotr's eyes narrowed above her. He didn't believe the man was capable of love. She couldn't wrap her head around Sabretooth, a man who'd threatened to skin her more times than she can count, caring about something other than himself. Logan shook his head.

"Sabretooth?_ Love?_ Yeah, right." Kurt stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"Wouldn't go that far, twerp. But, he _needed_ her. And, Creed doesn't need anything." He thought of the look on his face as he raged, knowing he'd also lost control like that before. Had hurt and killed others, just like that.

"Why did _he_ need _her_?" Scott pressed, worry lines etched in his forehead.

"She was a telepath. She had the glow. She stopped whatever he's out there doing, all his rages. Like it was nothin', too. Made him half-human. Shame he got to her first. Her life and stolen cash were a hard offer to pass up." Scott stroked his chin. Usually, Rogue absorbing rampaging mutants was a good plan of attack. But, he was way too volatile to get very close to.

"So, we'll have Jean do the same thing." He suggested, 'from far away' left hanging off the statement. She only sighed.

"Well, I can _try._ But... The professor has told me about this 'glow'. It's a very specific thing that affects specific types of people." She explained, her eyes locked with Logan's. "Usually, ferals and mutants who are prone to rage induced blackouts. Psychic is a broad term. We all have very specific strengths and weaknesses unique to our own mutations. Like, the professor excels in his telepathy. While I, at my telekinesis. So, while most mutants who can glow_ are_ psychics of some sort-"

"Not all psychics got de glow." Remy filled in softly. He had a wealth of knowledge on psychics thanks to Baella and his years of living. She pressed her mouth in a line.

"Right. But, the professor and I _may_ be able to subdue him, until we figure out what else to do with him..." She turned pleading eyes on Logan. "We can't abandon him to the Friends Of Humanity. Or to scientists!" Logan only scoffed.

"Oh, we_ totally_ could."

"Logan," Scott growled. "Main team, lets suit out and go. _Gambit_," He glowered, despite Jean's mental prompting him to be nice. "You should come, this could get ugly." He only nodded, his eyes focused on a silver haired mutant doing her best to ignore him. The last thing she needed was Scott or Logan on her back for 'being distracted'. Remy didn't distract her, anyways. Even as she hoped his hands were well enough to go on the mission. "Rogue. I want you to hang back some. Katherine, you too." He knew better than to try to tell his girlfriend to hang back in front of everyone.

Creed had always had it bad, for them. They were all close to Logan. He'd even concussed Rogue and dragged her off to Canada to lure the man there. He was too dangerous in his current state. "Ugh,_ what?"_ Kitty started.

"Me, are you-" Logan blocked Rogue from jabbing a finger at Scott.

"If _he_ didn't say it, I would. Creed's been gunning after the people closest to me since I can remember. He's running on dangerous instinct, he will kill you before we can do anything about it." He holds Rogue's petrified stare. She was headstrong, like him. He had to keep her from rushing off to be a hero, it would end badly. "Before _you_ can phase or _you_ can touch him." He looked hard into Scott's eyes. He tried to let him lead, but he wouldn't have the kids hurt over his baggage. "You hang back, too. _I heal_ from he what does to me." He looked around at all the young faces. "Won't be the same for you."

"B-" Rogue began, but he silenced her with a look. Normal Creed and berserk Creed were two different things.

_"End of story._" He pressed, daring Kitty to complain as well. She knew better than to argue with his look. He wasn't budging. "You, Elf, Half-Pint will be dealing with the Friends Of Humanity punks and keeping the situation from getting worse. I handle Sabretooth. So, let's go." Remy can't help but think Rogue's resuming pout is adorable, but even he knows there's a time and place.

"You heard him." Scott half sighed. "Let's get moving."


	5. Agendas

The suited team fanned out of the X-Jet, Logan's watchful eye on them all. Piotr, Scott, and Gambit were his second string to take on Creed. Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, and Bobby were to peacefully disarm rioters and rescue any caught in the crossfire of the protests. Jean and Ororo were to watch and aid from the sky. They were all expecting a bad scene, but none had ever been called to such a bad mutant demonstration. The professor's solemn and anxious stares made sense, now.

Logan began barking orders when some froze, wondering if they could handle the level of chaos. People were fleeing as motorcycles backfired and weapons were discharged. It was hard to tell who was bystander, who was rioting, and vice versa. Papers littered the air as people searched for safety. Solace from the cacophony of noise. Mutants were being outed and revealed, either fled from or chased.

_'These Friends Of Humanity demonstrations are out of control...'_ Logan thought, tracing Sabretooth's scent so fast, Gambit and Scott could barely keep up. The louder the commotion got, the closer they were to the feral mutant. He was half crying and bellowing, smashing his fists on the hood of a burgundy car. "Okay," Logan growled. "Good enough." He shot claws out that shined in the sun. "Got it from here." Scott grumbled to himself, trying to aim from the awkward distance as Logan swarmed him.

"Now would be a good time to see if ya got the glow, Jeannie!" He suggested from below as the mutant flipped him overhead. He was snarling unintelligibly, wilder than even he'd seen him. Before they ran off, Rogue and Remy looked back at each other.

"Gambit," He froze. "Be _careful._" The irony. He tried not to sigh in response._ 'If only Ah could die, chére.'_

"Don' worry 'bout Gambit." He answered, his face dark. He jabbed his fingerless glove at her. "Gambit worry 'bout _you._" Rogue hoped nobody noticed her blush as he stared at her. He sent a firm nod and took off to back up Wolverine. She took off with her part of the team into the fray.

Jean focused beside Storm, finding Creed's mind unbearable. Especially with the insanity around them. When she tried to enter his fractured mind, she kept picking up the terror and rage around her. "Not looking so good, Logan. He's worse than _you_!" He stabbed his claws into the beast's arm, desperate to slow him down. An optic blast fried his back, but it didn't register as he smacked his rival away with a roar.

Remy threw his explosive cards into the mix, subconsciously trying to keep an eye on the protests. And really, Rogue. He could not spot her silver bangs in the sea of terror, and he hated that it made him anxious. _"Focus_, LeBeau!" Piotr called, throwing a car towards Creed, who was holding a bus stop over his head. Scott fired another blast, but he missed as Sabretooth galloped toward him.

Logan tackled him out of the way with a roar. "No you DON'T,"

Rogue looked at Kurt and Kitty before tapping her bare hand with theirs. The jump start was enough to help her teleport with them and phase through the weaponry to disable it. A mob of Friends Of Humanity members stormed Kitty, bats and crowbars raised. She smiled sheepishly as all the weapons flew through her. "What _the-_"

"Sorry!" She ran through them all as Ororo blew fierce winds, knocking construction scaffolding on them. "Thanks, Ororo!" She smiled from the sky.

"Down, mutie!" A mustached man in a beret shouted, firing a laser into the sky. He narrowly missed as she twirled in the air, summoning more wind. Logan crashed in front of the member and sliced the barrel of his gun off. He stared hard into the tanned man's eyes, his claws glinting in the sun. He dropped his weapon and took off screaming as he scanned the area for Sabertooth.

"Alright, riot team. How's it goin'?" He called into his communicator. Even Logan was unaware of how closely they were being watched. But, Graydon Creed was studying Rogue, intensely. His own father's rage would attract attention and embolden his team. But, as he watched the stripe haired girl take the powers of _others_, he knew she was his ticket to Mutant Registration. '_Then, these wretched mutants will be gone!'_

He remembered the footage the news had captured after her concert rampage. Flying, summoning lightning and cloning herself. If he could find a way to manipulate her into that state, the legislation would pass in days. He forgot about his father, and the dirty deeds that led them there.

_"Boy," There was a crazed look in his eye, a trembling blonde telepath in his arms as they stood in the warehouse. Sure, Birdie had made attempts on Sabretooth's life. But, she was the only broad who ever listened to him. And right now, his son was holding a knife to her throat. Without her subconscious mental massaging, the power of her glow, even he would consider himself a monster. "Don't do this. I didn't know..." He reached a clawed finger out towards him. _

_There were tears in Birdie's eyes, blonde strands blocking her vision. "Boss..." She blinked, snot dripping down her nose. "I don't wanna die."_

_"Be brave, Birdie." Creed sighed, his own filthy hair obscuring the vision of his son. He cracked a claw. "This'll be done, soon." _

_"Yes." Grayson nodded, staring at the man who'd abandoned him like trash. Unwanted for not having powers. For being normal. "It will be." He dragged the knife in a quick, fluid motion across the blonde's throat. _

_"BOY, BIRDIE-" She didn't scream, but gurgled as she collapsed on the ground in front of them. All while Sabretooth was left speechless. "Y-You... You..." He feels the rage bubble up inside him. Inevitable. "You don't know what you've done..." He watched the light fade from her eyes and felt her mental embrace flee.  
_

_"Sure, I do." Was his own son's answer. He flicked the vial of trigger scents, just incase Birdie hadn't enraged him enough. "Let's go, boys." The heavily armed Friends Of Humanity members all lined up around him as Creed tried to restrain what even he thought was the worst things about him._

His father was a savage, and manipulating him had been child's play. But this girl, used in the right way... She would inspire worldwide panic. Show that the potential of mutants was reason alone they had to go. He grinned, a sinister sneer on his face as the battle raged on.

Kurt teleported and grabbed his sibling quickly before a hail of lasers hits her. "Y'know. Going." Kurt answered, his tail flicking behind him. "This is a _really_ bad riot."

"Yeah," Kitty screamed, letting a slab of metal go through her. "The lasers feel weird when they phase through me." She shivered.

"Keep it up, you guys." All four mutants paled when it seemed a tank was being rolled down the street. Bobby groaned.

"Is this_ serious?_" He grumbled when he made eye contract with Rogue. He removed his glove and they touched, briefly. Things were about to get ugly. But, Remy broke from his own formation when he saw Rogue dash away from Kitty, Kurt, and Bobby despite their yells. _'Fille, stupide.'_ He blustered, watching her narrowly phase through and dodge nets and lasers alike.

Sabretooth slammed Logan on the concrete, his slobber getting on his face. He groaned, until he saw Rogue hauling ass. He felt inspired to overpower Creed, his face red. "ROGUE," He snarled. "What part of the damn plan is_ THAT_?" He cursed when Remy took off after her, his coat flapping in the wind as he zeroed in on her.

The cajun didn't understand what she was racing towards, but the ex soldier did. He paled when he saw the former X-Man. Spyke stood, absolutely covered in bone like protrusions with some Morlocks behind him. "SPYKE," She was crying out hoarsely. The Morlocks weren't ready, not for something like this.

_"ROGUE,"_ He shot a row of massive, sharp bone shards that destroyed the guns behind her. "We came to protest against the Friends Of Humanity! We couldn't just stand by, not anymore. Callisto sent me." When someone in a camo vest approached them, he pulled his former teammate to safety. They swung a machete wildly, screaming. The armed Morlocks spread out to help, tired of being walked all over. Making a split second decision, Rogue ripped a glove off and touched it to the sweaty man's face.

Years of militia training flooded her as she wrenched his gun from weak arms. Cursing to herself, she propped the gun on her knee and turned down the power voltage. Remy watched as the man crumbled to the ground, out like a light. Her stance wider than normal, she sprayed a line of lasers at advancing militia men, carrying spiked bats and weapons of their own.

Spyke smirked, joining in with Remy as they destroyed the weapons of the Friends Of Humanity. It reminded him of old times, times he wished he'd cherished a little more. A man raised a bat, but Remy spun his staff and knocked it away from them. When he was unarmed, Rogue reached out and grabbed his arm when she felt her newly attained knowledge slipping. She kicked him away and continued firing.

Yes, it was as Graydon thought, peering deep from the shadows. She could touch _anyone_ and absorb them, all of them. She was the mutant holy grail. He smoothed out his burgundy suit, piercing stare on her. He was going to try this out on his father, but she would be a much better candidate. He gestured to looming militia men around him. "I want _her._" He handed off a strange device, Remy noticing with his back pressed to her._ 'Somethin' up.'_

"Somethin's wrong." The southerner hissed in his communicator. "There's a mark. Skell in a suit. Makin' eyes." Logan and Scott's heart hammered in their chests.

_"Red._ We gotta be humanitarians for Creed, later. I don't care if you glow it or blow it up!" Jean groaned, placing her hands on her head and focusing on his fragile mind. He went limp in Logan's arms and Ororo floated down, hailing ice on him to keep him frozen.

"I've got us some time." Logan tore from his side once he was sure he was out. When a large, greasy bald man grabbed a pink haired Morlock, Rogue turned the weapon on him. She fired quickly, firing him off of her. Someone else took the opportunity to throw the collar around her neck. Spyke swiped for it and Remy jammed his staff, but they were both a little too slow.

"ROGUE," Remy snarled as she dropped the gun. She tugged instinctively, waiting to see if the device would strangle her to death while they watched. When it didn't, she almost became more worried.

"What th-" She began crying as she exploded with energy, repelling Remy, Spyke, and anyone else around them. Remy slammed into a car, hard. Spyke slammed through the window of a restaurant. Rogue howled as she rippled with a bright, electric force. She could feel every cell in her body rippling with power.

"No, Stripe! Hang on!" Logan yelled, nearly running on all fours beside Scott. Jean descended frantically from the air, her forehead glowing bright pink. She tried to strip the collar off with her telekinesis, but the device repelled her through the air and into a bus.

"JEAN," Scott raised a hand to his visor but Logan held up a hand.

"No, that thing... I've never seen anything like it." They watched as Spyke formed a large bone and watched helplessly as he tried to figure a way to free his friend. Kitty broke into Logan's line of sight, her face set in determination. She reached out a tiny hand, hoping she'd be able to phase her roommate out of the contraption. The same fate befell her, launching her with a thud into Bobby.

"Kit, _ngggh_... No!" Rogue screamed louder as the collar seemed to pulse. Logan and Scott helped Jean to her feet, cursing as they watched Rogue helplessly struggle.

"Damn it? What's it doing?" He cried, his eyes shining with angry tears as she suffered. Remy shoved himself up on his staff.

"Like my prototype? Trask had a really_ rich_ contact book." Logan struggled to wrangle his rage as the ill suited man strolled through the smoke. "That device is ramping her mutation up. When she's finished fighting it, she'll be as out of control as_ Sabertooth._ And, ten times as destructive. And you freaks will be locked up, just like you belong."

"Get it off!" Scott demanded, his mind still reeling at the mention of Trask. "_Now."_ His grin only twisted wider.

"I'm afraid it's too late." The skies darkened as Rogue cried out, slowly levitating to the sky.

"No," Ororo cried, doing her best to temper Rogue's raging powers. "She's_ unrestrained_! This could get dangerous." She warned, her eyes glowing white. The ground began to rumble as more of her power unleashed. Logan grabbed on to Kitty and Kurt as more and more things began to levitate, the wind whipping around them. Jean took to the air and shielded Ororo as she worked to undo the storm. Cars, signs, fire hydrants all rose. Rogue shrieked as things began to surround her.

His eyes anchored on her pain-staked face, he ran forward and vaulted on his adamantium stuff. He soared through the air and jammed a card in what he thought was the hinge of the collar. He managed to charge it slightly before being flung down into Wolverine, sending them both sliding against concrete. The low charge disrupted the device's frequency, shutting it down.

With a moan, she dropped to the ground in a heap, both Kurt and Graydon scrambling for he_r. "Rogue!_" Kurt cried, his eye on the frantic, red faced man beside him. '_W-Who is he? Vhy, vhy does he hate us so much?'_ He didn't want to know what he wanted to do with her. The older, larger man slammed into him hard as he neared Rogue.

"She's mine, mutant." He hissed, his eyes wide and crazy. But, when he reached down for her he was met with a staff pressed to his neck. Hard. He sputtered, his air cutting off.

"She_ no one's_." Remy responded, flipping him to his back quickly. He grabbed the tacky flower in his breastpocket and charged it while he held his sight. _"D'accord?_" He was shocked when Graydon managed not to soil himself. He was trembling like a little girl under Remy as he stared into his devil eyes.

"Okay. _Enough_, Gambit." Scott ordered, standing behind Logan while he examined Rogue. He was patting her face with a gloved hand. He cursed before tossing the flower away, allowing it to explode. When Rogue panted, he rose and went to her side to see how she was. His stomach twisted when her brow furrowed, twitching feverishly as she tried to get away from them.

_"A-Away, muties... No, no!" _She hissed.

"What's..." Logan was so tense he looked like he might sheer his own lip off.

"She touched a_ bunch_ of these bozos, her mind's a little confused, right now." He told him softly, pressing lightly on her shoulders to keep her from fleeing or fighting. He hated when she slipped between personalities. It made him feel ill to restrain her, to be forced to witness the abject horror on her face and be helpless to do anything. Not until she returned to herself. The bouts were getting more frequent and longer, and he was starting to seriously worry.

If using multiple powers at once came at this price, it wasn't worth it. Not to the man whose mission will always be to value her beyond her powers. _"Jean,"_ He called out. She was examining a lump on Kitty's head. She nodded, feeling like she'd had to use her mental abilities to patch a lot of psyches, lately. She didn't mind, but it certainly worried her.

"Sure, her head's really frazzled, this time." Jean chewed her lip, trying to be as delicate with the girl's fragile psyche as the professor. Remy never realized this was the extent of what her powers did to her. _'Why,'_ He thought, shaking._ 'Why she wan' do dis? So painful...'_

He stooped beside her as she shook, stroking silver bangs with a gloved finger. He really had picked the worst, karmic death for himself. Not only was she a kind, well intentioned girl at heart, her_ own_ life was hard. Would make his a cakewalk if he wasn't immortal. How can he kill the girl he sympathizes with? _"Son petit bon, d'accord?"_ He soothed, his voice calling out to the version of him in her mind. She took a deep breath and slowly shut her eyes, turning her head.

_"Nnnnnngh..."_ She tried to sit up reflexively, but Logan ushered her down.

"Easy," He tossed a look behind him, but Graydon was gone. '_He'll have his day, I'll make sure of that.'_ Rogue opened her eyes, landing right on the other southern mutant. She whimpered when the migraine descended on her head, crushing her mind and complex thought. All she could think about was Remy's voice. Her vision was taking a long time to clear up, like her brain had been rattled in her head.

_"R-Remy?"_ He played with a few locks of her hair in his fingers and exhaled a breath.

"Right here." He answered, his stare on her intent. There really _were_ a lot of people after her. If he was to die, he had to fast track their courting (which was impossible when everybody was always trying to kill her). She relaxed, leaning her head back on his hand with a defeated sigh. He slipped his arms underneath her despite Logan's soft growls and helped her sit up. "Feel alright?" She gave a shaky nod.

"Everyone okay?" Scott forced his voice to be even. This had not been what he or anyone else was expecting. The Friends Of Humanity had been a thorn in their side, but they had truly underestimated how dangerous they were, and how far they'd go for their own agenda. He heard a few half-hearted yeses and solemn stares.

"We should get Sabretooth and Rogue back and looked at." Ororo suggested quietly, her anxious stare on the white haired mutant. Remy pulled her to a stand, his face lost in thought. Kitty ambled behind Piotr as he reluctantly hoisted the incapacitated mutant. He wrinkled his nose.

"He _can't_ come back here." Logan began, rage flashing on his face. "Storm-"

"We can't leave him here, the professor won't have it." Jean interjected in exasperation. She approached her former teammate, standing near Scott. Ororo was lingering close too, a lot of things left unsaid. They couldn't help but ask him to return, he was still missed all this time later.

"What if-" Scott began, Kurt behind him.

"They need me, bro. Just like the X-Men need_ you_." He pulled his aunt into a careful, gentle embrace. "You guys know where I'll be."

"Goodbye, Evan." She watched as he and the others disappeared back underground. "Take care of yourself."


	6. Glow

_"You. You are my father. And, that blue skinned harlot, Mystique..." Angry tears formed in Graydon's eyes, his fingernails digging into his palms. He'd waited his whole life for this moment. Getting back at his wretched parents for abandoning him. Punishing their entire race until he felt better. "Neither of you wanted me. Was I just too normal for you?" Sabretooth only raised an eyebrow. He didn't doubt he'd had some hellish bastards out there, but he wasn't the family type. _

_ Victor Creed knew one thing. He'd never had sex with the cunty shapeshifter. She was always bossing him around, and that didn't turn him on. "I neve-" Well, how could he know? She could've been anyone of those women he rutted. He groaned, slapping a hand over his face. This certainly hadn't been his intention. The blonde haired telepath trembled in Graydon's clutches, a knife starting to break the delicate skin of her neck. _

_She'd always thought Creed would've been the one to snap and kill her, but after meeting his son she much preferred him. Birdie was sweating profusely, but she was only a bargaining chip. She was too useful to Sabretooth to be allowed harm. She shook in her indigo catsuit, her eyes locked on Creed's cold ones."Boss..." She tried to steel her face. "I don't want to die." _

_"Be brave, Birdie." Creed sighed, his own filthy hair obscuring the vision of his son. What was he supposed to do about this? Even he didn't want to kill his own son. He cracked a claw. "This'll be done, soon." _

_"Yes." Grayson nodded, staring at the man who'd abandoned him like trash. Unwanted for not having powers. For being normal. "It will be." He dragged the knife in a quick, fluid motion across the blonde's throat. _

_"BOY, BIRDIE-" She didn't scream, but gurgled as she collapsed on the ground in front of them. All while Sabretooth was left speechless. "Y-You... You..." He feels the rage bubble up inside him. Inevitable. "You don't know what you've done..." He watched the light fade from her eyes and felt her mental embrace flee.  
_

_"Sure, I do." Was his own son's answer. He flicked the vial of trigger scents, just incase Birdie hadn't enraged him enough. "Let's go, boys." The heavily armed Friends Of Humanity members all lined up around him as Creed tried to restrain what even he thought was the worst things about him._

Jean reared back with a ragged gasp, both Scott and Charles peering at her face in concern. Sabretooth was still barely coherent, his mind suffering without the symbiotic relationship he had with Birdie's unique powers. He was strapped down to an infirmary bed, moaning, mobbed with sweat and probably not sure where he was.

The ginger haired mutant rubbed a temple, reflecting on what she'd just learned. "You okay," Scott asked, out loud instead of his head. Logan's intense memories made her nauseous. She nodded slowly, her stare hovering on the wild mutant. Logan was silent, not even blinking as he studied his enemy closely. He wouldn't be shocked if this was all an elaborate act to get close to him. He wasn't smart, but he was cunning.

"Yes. Logan was right," She turned a sober expression his way. "But, I... I found out something else." She settled shakily into a seat. How did she say this? "Birdie was killed, like you said. But_ not_ just by the Friends Of Humanity. By his own son, his_ human_ son." Logan went as white as the walls. Creed had a kid? Why didn't he know? Why didn't he try to look out for it, protect it-

_"What?_" He snarled. Jean shut her eyes.

"He's Graydon Creed, Logan. He's a human_. That's_ why he hates mutants so much..." Even his mouth was aghast, and he didn't shock easily. Charles' eyes were shut in seeming protest too, Scott's eyebrow quirked in confusion.

"Okay,_ what?_" He interjected, glaring at the feral mutant.

"That's not it. Mystique is... Is his_ mother_. And he knows. They abandoned him and he's waging a war on all mutants." Logan turned and slammed a hand into the wall, surprised when it didn't go through. It wasn't fair. Why Kurt? Why would one of the most gentle students be related to an anti mutant terrorist and Mystique? It made him enraged.

"No." He began, Scott's own face covered. "No way. We... We can't tell him that THAT is his half brother." Jean only chewed her lip.

"The truth means _everything_ to Kurt." Charles spoke finally, his face worn with worry lines. "He would feel so hurt and underestimated if we withheld this knowledge from him, remember last time? We cannot keep asking them to save the world and not allow them the truths about their own lives." Logan shut his eyes in silent disagreement. He didn't care if everyone thought he was overprotective, protecting was one thing he was good at. "He will be_ okay_, Logan. He has us."

"I'm more worried about Graydon finding out. He might not be safe, he has to know." Scott interjected, his brow furrowed seriously. Logan growled, he had a point. Things were definitely going to be easier before they knew this.

"I'll handle it, Logan. Delicately." Charles tried to smile. His friend didn't look satisfied, even with Jean prying his head.

_'You know it's the right thing.'_ She pressed.

_'Don't mean I like it, Red.'_ The boy had enough angst over his family. Logan ruffled his hair in frustration. Too many things were feeling out of control. Like that mission. Sabretooth. The Friends Of Humanity. Rogue's mutation. It was starting to weigh heavily on him. One worry snowballed into many, for him.

"Someone needs to_ watch_ him." He demanded, jabbing a finger towards the whimpering mutant in the bed. "And, not you. You, Kitty, Rogue... All the girls just _steer clear_ of here until we figure out what to do." Jean fought the urge to bring up that he hadn't excluded Ororo, and if she could handle Sabretooth so could she. She can see he's not in the mood.

"I'll take care of of that." Scott grumbled, his arms folded. "Why don't you get a little rest? Today was a lot." Logan nodded in agreement, his dark eyes seeing through the telepath for any signs of strain or hurt. She nodded, her mind occupied by Creed's memories.

"Yes, come. I'll have Ororo fix us some tea." Charles placed a tense hand on her back. Logan held Scott's stare.

"Gonna check on Rogue," He barke_d. "Then,_ I'll be back to watch him, okay? Don't move. Don't let anyone who isn't_ you_ in." He ordered, watching as the demand's registered in Scott's mind.

"Got it." He said, watching as Logan ushered Jean out. All three mutants paused when Sabretooth called out, panting.

_"Girly,"_ He rasped, making Scott wrinkle his face in disgust.

"Don't talk to her!" He howled, immediately. Sabretooth thrashed wildly in the bed, ignoring Scott all together.

"Girl... Ya a _telepath, ain't ya_... D-Do it..._ Please_," He writhed, his head beating the pillow. Filthy hair clung to his face. "Th-These memories...So much pain. Do the glow, for the_ love of god._.." Jean watched as a mutant who'd threatened to kill her for fun dozens of times. Who'd threatened to give 'Kitty-Kat something she couldn't phase out of'. To get one of the lab collars and 'test drive' Rogue. Cut off Xavier's legs. And now, he was begging for relief.

She steeled her face as Logan shot out his claws. "Y'dont' tell her what to do, Creed." He answered darkly.

"Let's get one thing straight, Sabertooth." She blinked. "You _needed_ Birdie, and Birdie was _scared_ of you. Well, Birdie's gone, Creed. And, I'm not afraid of you in my home." He watched her, with tears in his eyes as she disappeared. Scott leaned against the wall, counting the seconds until Logan's return.

* * *

Logan made his way to the separate infirmary room Hank had sequestered her in. The girl was in need of rest, but after Logan explained another episode he ordered a catscan and a few other tests to check up on her. He normally would've been there, but he had to be sure Sabretooth was secure, he was too lethal not to be guarded. He wasn't surprised to find Gambit lingering around the infirmary, both of them still in their uniforms.

He was tilting a bottle of water to the girl's lips, holding her eye contact as she sipped, slowly. He turned, however, when he heard Logan's claws emerge. _"Think her hands work."_ Rogue took the bottle in her hands as Logan approached, sniffing then wedging himself between them. He knew the girl hated hospital visits and tests, she was in the infirmary the most, by far. He could relate. After sending him another scowl, Logan turned back to peer in the girl's flushed face. "Feelin' alright?"

She nodded, her head feeling a little cloudy. "Yeah, just tired." His stare lingered on the purple, bruising mark left on her neck by Graydon's collar.

"Good thinkin', cajun." He didn't want to admit how helpless he felt, knowing his claws would've repelled if he tried to cut it off. That he still would've tried anyways, if Remy hadn't disabled it. The New Orleans native seemed embarrassed, almost sad for the compliment. He only nodded, his eyes drifting back to Rogue's white hair. "And, just what were_ you_ thinking?" She smiled, sheepishly, but it did not melt the annoyed look off of his face.

"Well, Ah... A-And Spyk-"

"I know," He admonished. "But plans are plans for a _reason_. You gotta communicate, you can't just change them as you go." She dropped her head, mortified to be getting scolded in front of Remy. "What if Creed had incapacitated _my team_, huh? How would we have got that thing off you?" She hears the anxious edge to his voice and tears well in her eyes. "And, you're supposed to keep absorption to_ mutants_, preferably teammates." He crossed his arms, Remy listening to everything, quietly. "You've _worked_ on those memories with Chuck and Jean. Strangers, humans... Those memories overwhelm you, Rogue. I told you, if your blackouts escalate you're on restricted duty." He dared her to challenge him with a glare. After her first episode and the aftermath of Apocalypse, he didn't take chances.

She only sighed, like she had this conversation memorized. "Ah just... Ah saw the Morlocks, Ah knew they'd be in the most danger because they have identifiable mutations." She explained, remembering when Logan had gone alone to aid them and came back a different person. He never told her what he saw, but the Morlock's numbers were reduced by 76%.

Remy kept his mouth shut in a grim line. Logan smiled. "I know you just wanted help protect them, you didn't do half bad, either. Now next time, follow the plan or we can start meeting in the Danger Room at five am, again." The smile slid off her face at that. "Now, c'mon. Hank said early t'bed, tonight." He smirked when she grumbled, but rose. Remy moved to slink out but Logan held an arm up, watching as Rogue hesitantly left. "Y'saved her..."

The cajun's melancholy stare landed on the ground. "Jus' doin' what we do." He fiddled with cards in his jacket as guilt swirled in his chest. _'If only dey knew..'_ Logan didn't say anything for a long moment.

"Thanks." Was all he said before filing out.

Remy felt like a piece of shit.

* * *

When Rogue woke early the next morning, she did not find Remy by his room. Or the library. Or, the gazebo where he tried to smoke. She found him brooding at the sky on the roof, staring at the pale purple fading to blue. He doesn't take his attention from the horizon as she stands beside him, wrapped in a massive flannel and black pajama shorts that appeared to have bats on them.

Her face was makeup free, her hair lazily parted on the left side. This is what he always wanted to see. The fresh,_ real_ Rogue. The glimpse he saw back on the Blood Moon bayou. And if he looks now, with the sun's rays lighting her face, he might make any number of mistakes. He'd never had a type before, he was the type. But now, he's starting to think its her.

"Hey." She called out, her hands on her hips. Casual. He took a chance and glanced at her, finding a natural Rogue as attractive as he'd thought. He was shrouded in a dark trench coat this morning, grieving something Rogue wasn't sure of.

"Bonjour." He answered quietly, studying a few freckles. "What got ya up s'early?" He questioned as he reached for a cigarette. She just shrugged. She didn't know when it came to him.

"Ah'm always up early." She didn't understand why he'd been there when she woke up at the riots. Or stayed in the infirmary for her all night... What was his deal? He never seemed the considerate type. Maybe, that was her own issues she had with trust. She watched him for the moment. "Logan gave me permission and an allowance. To do whatever A_-We_ want." His eyes widened in intrigue, and then he chuckled ruefully.

"Now, why would Wolvie do dat, _huh_?" He leaned in, making her frown. He thought it was cute how he was her dad that wasn't her dad. The girl needed someone looking out for her, especially with him around.

"Ah dunno. Jean probably forced him to." She shook her head in disgust. "But, Ah got a couple of hundreds out of it. Well? Do you want to... Actually do something? Away from here, away from your family?" She crossed her arms expectantly. "Or ya jus' gonna follow me around here." He leaned up and towered her, making her breath catch in her throat when the sun shines on his face.

"Les' go, what a _fille_ like you do for fun? Mos' uptight gal Remy ever met." Her face became as red as her flannel, and he laughed again. "See!"

"Ah am_ not!_" She nearly squealed. "Ah relax and have fun _all the time_. Ah stayed at Kitty's party for _thirty whole minutes_, the other day." Her eyes narrowed in scowl as he laughed at her more.

"Y'not provin' ya point, _chére_. Ya _always_ do wha ya daddy say?" He leaned suggestively against the wall. She rolled her eyes, following his stare on the horizon.

"No!" She shot back, her voice shaking. She always did her best to listen to him, and she hated when people noticed that she _did_ actually obey authority.

"What we do, den? Dine n' dash dinner? Sneak into a bar? Backstage at a concert?" His eyes challenged her, curious to see if he could get her to rebel. That would mean his hold was taking on her faster than he thought. She would be easier to manipulate, even charmed removed from the school. That is what he desperately wanted. She stared back at him, hard, but the expression faded.

"Ah..." She chewed her lip. She could hang with Gambit, any day. But, she didn't want to disappoint Logan. "Ah was thinkin' more... Somethin' else."

Feeling he'd taken the ribbing far enough, he settled beside her. "What ya have in min'? Gambit do whatever." _'With you',_ he left hanging off. Rogue felt a little warm inside and forgot her annoyance.

"Ah was thinkin'... Horse ridin'?" The immortal cocked a surprised eyebrow at her. He'd ridden thousands of horses in his life. He could tell their nature at a glance, their very souls. He found himself amused and slightly impressed. She was not as surface level as some of her teammates._ 'Dey all young.'_ Remy remembered._ 'She just carry herself old.'_ He was cutting young life short.

He clutched a fist involuntarily, praying when she didn't notice. He had to get over it. He'd already started the process, there was no use backing out of it, now. She was just making it unknowingly hard, standing in front of him. Smiling, looking like she might actually have a good time riding horses with him. He stifled the sigh, searching grey pools in her eyes.

A cool expression spread over his face as he puffed on the cigarette. "Wha' ya know about horse ridin', girl?" She arched a groomed eyebrow.

"Uh? Ah'm from Caledecott, Mississippi. Ah'm country, you the cajun." He quirked his own eyebrow at her.

"Oh? Well, show Remy what ya got, den. Gazebo._ Un _hour." Rogue nodded, her eyes glittering with mischief. She had a lot of surprises up her sleeve for a man who thinks he knows everything. If there was one thing Rogue loved, it was proving people wrong. Her mere existence did that, surviving fate and her own mutation time and time again. Logan liked to say that was her power.

He was secretly listening in on their conversation on the balcony below, watching to make sure Rogue did what he asked. If Gambit was to be allowed near her, he would be keeping a close watch. He smirks when he realizes she'd been asked, and she did seem to have a good affect on him. She wasn't the wily seventeen year old she used to be. He went riding with Jean when the mansion became too much for either of them. Great bonding trip, not too intense or suggestive.

_'And, I won't be far behind.'_

* * *

"Oh, Mr. Logan..." He chuckled, flipping the page of his newspaper. He knew this voice, and he knew it well. Kitty knew his affinity for her and often used it to her advantage. This time, she needed a car. "I wanted to meet Piotr for his lunch break at the mall,_ could I_..." She blinked her eyes as though she were bashful, acting coy as if the man would fall for it. "Could I take the X-Van?"

She had her license, but not her own car just yet. Logan choked on his sip of coffee as Scott and Jean entered the kitchen, together. "I told ya, Kitty. That van is too big for you..." He frowns, remembering how he thought his healing factor wouldn't save him from her driving. "Besides, you can't._ I'm_ usin' it. Ask Cyke for a ride." He suggested, making it the college student's problem. He said ride because Scott had finally fixed his car after letting Kitty drive it.

Jean chuckled when he sighed, a little too loud. Now, Kitty folded her arms over her jean jacket. "I don't _need_ a ride, I want to drive. I'm beginning to think you and the professor are avoiding getting me a vehicle... Scott has a car, Jean has a car, Rogue has a_ MOTORCYCLE_... Where is she, anyways?" The brunette looked around, her voice going a mile a minute. Logan half growled, shutting the paper and looking at her. God, the girl could talk. "Hey, why won't you take your mototocycle? What do you do before... Noon?"

She leaned close, her blue eyes suspicious. "Ja, vhat she said." Kurt cried after he appeared, hanging upside down from a light fixture. Logan rubbing his head, it was getting crowded.

_"Because,"_ He held the snarl from his voice. Teenagers were nosy. "Mine needs work and I bet on rummy that I don't ride Stripes'." He responded matter-of-factly. "The professor wants Gu-_Gambit_ to feel comfortable here. Like he's on a real team. So," All eyes were on the broad man, shrugged in a white shirt and brown leather jacket the X-Girls had pooled together to get him for Christmas. "He allowed him and Rogue to go horseback ridin-"

"On a _date_?!" Kitty squealed, making him plug her ears. Kurt nearly stumbled when he jumped down from the ceiling, his eyes bulging.

"A DATE," Scott abandoned the bowl of oatmeal he'd come into the kitchen to fix. He was as red as his polo, quietly stewing beside his girlfriend who was trying to bustle out of the kitchen.

"Is it a date when me and Red go on rides?" He barked back out of instinct. Of course not, she was Charles' first student. A child, still. And in college. Barely a young woman. And those intimate moments taking trips into each others minds, holding each other back from the point of no return, both fleeing from the mansion when they felt overwhelmed. Intimate, but he dare not ever contemplate that she reciprocated those complicated feelings.

"If the professor wants him to bond with the team, I could take him to do... Whatever it is Gambit does." Scott suggested with a frown. He didn't like the southerner much, but he liked him around Rogue even less. He and Logan usually saw eye to eye on that.

"You can't ride horses, your depth perception..." Jean reminded him, her voice unintentionally sing song.

"P-Please._ I'll_ go, instead. I'll be Gambit's best friend, see? _Mon Amis, vee!_ Already got it!" He chuckled nervously, Logan feeling guilty that he still didn't know what they'd found out. He shook his head, eyes shut.

_"She's_ the only one he trusts, she's the only one that's gonna help make him feel comfortable, here. And, I _don'_t want anyone giving them a hard time." His snarl forced Kurt and Scott into agreement. _"Besides,_" He grabbed his keys off the table. "I'll be keeping an eye on them." Both Kitty and Jean looked at each other, unimpressed. But, Kurt and Scott felt a lot better. He'd die before he let anything happen to her.


	7. Witnesses

"Go ahead inside the stable," The southern, portly woman gestured behind her as Rogue and Remy stood. "Pick which one you'd like to ride." They nodded graciously and entered the pungent bar, hay strewn everywhere. Remy was glad wasn't much like her female teammates, they were too small. Delicate. Soft. Horses lazed about, eating or just standing. It was easy to discern a lot of their natures just but how they stood. Remy eyed Rogue curiously, wondering what kind of horse the complex girl would pick. It could tell a lot about her.

"Go on." He pushed her forward. "Pick 'em." The cajun had his eye on a black horse, drenched in the night sky. Its eyes seemed violet, its mane long and unruly. It certainly fit the former goth girl's dark tastes. But, she floated towards a white, speckled horse with grey spots and a blonde mane. His mouth dropped when she patted it, softly and allowed her to pull it forward. "_Dat_ one?" He questioned with a smile. She never failed to amaze him.

She nodded, looking into its long face. "Yeah, this one seems sweet." She rubbed its neck affectionately while Remy watched.

"How comfortable are you ridin', _sugah?_" The employee with obnoxious, frizzy blonde curls asked.

"Comfortable." Rogue answered confidently, revealing earrings in her cartilage when she tucked her hair behind her ear. The woman nodded.

"Then Cupcake is a great horse for you. You got the touch." Remy chuckled when the girl blushed in embarrassment. He ambled slowly to the black horse he had his eye on, it much better suited him. The attendant nodded knowingly. "Expert?" He grinned.

_"Oui,"_ She blushed at his flippant use of french.

"Allaster is right your up your alley then, you two enjoy!" Remy watched as Rogue swung a leg clad in brown riding pants over the body of her horse. He noted and praised her for her flexibility and overall agility. She was a physically fit young woman. She smiled back at him as his stare lingered a little too long. Her skin looked beautiful against the contrast of the sky and the sun. Small clusters of freckles beginning to appear on her skin. How her hair is just slightly longer than it used to be, maybe be because she's distracted by him.

When he holds his stare, she frowned. "What's wrong?" He shook his head, practically gliding upon Allaster's back.

"Nothin', _chére._ Nothin at all..." He took the reins and the horse trotted down the path, Cupcake following after. "Been doin' dis a while," He told her, his stare mischievous as he enjoyed the familiar, free feeling. It felt like he'd lived a million lives, but he'd ridden horses in all of them.

_Remy stared at the winged horse, something he thought had been legends. "Come," Baella purred. Her hair was swept off her shoulders, and she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen sitting atop her blessed steed with wings of gold. Remy didn't feel like a man when he was with her, he felt like a god. This was one of the times when he liked it. He could not always say the same. He wanted to live good, not be revered as a god. Even an orphan llike him saw it as more trouble than it was worth. _

_But, he didn't see what else to do besides go along for the ride. It wasn't often men bedded goddesses. Loved goddesses, when they weren't spewing speech as dangerous and concerning as En Sabah. The First One. Mutants could have their peace. Stay hidden, until the world was ready. However long it took. She didn't see it that way, and not everyone would see it as she saw it. _

_He didn't know what to do. But, as he stared at her face lit by the moon, he didn't care. Her violet gown swept the ground, even on her horse. It started in a slow, graceful trot. Remy's did the same, following after to some uncharted cove._

_'Dis'll be good..._' He thought, preparing to expertly steer his steed. He jumped when Rogue exclaimed. "Ya!" She snapped her reins and took off from Remy's side, grinning devilishly._ 'Fille a speed demon,'_ He watched as the mild Cupcake kicked up a cloud of dust in front of him. _'She not half bad.'_ Commanding Allaster with an otherworldly presence, he pulled his lead and the horse shot up.

He caught up to Rogue easily, but watched her in amusement as she leaned into the wind, breathing in the fresh air. Shook her hair as her horse galloped. Free. She really was wild. She had an audience in her head she was always trying to please, and as he watched her oversized bomber jacket flap in the wind, it seemed riding pleased them all. It seems like a small victory for her, so it was for him, too. He quirked an eyebrow when the horse leapt, not missing a beat as they raced down the dirt road.

Remy can't remember the last time he did something like this. First, she starts laughing, then him. How many times had he heard her laugh? Not many, but it's becoming more common. They ducked together under the low hanging branches of a tree, nearly knocking them both off. The pair burst into louder laughter, garnering stares as they raced around past more novice riders. Rogue can't remember the last time she had this much fun. She was far more at peace than she was in high school.

But still, she never felt she felt she fit in, even amongst her teammates (besides Logan). Right now, she did. With_ him_. The other outsider. He forced himself not to look at her when he feels her staring. He wants to meet her stare, but he can't risk unnecessary looks into her stormy eyes. She had a way of burrowing deep, just like he sort of missed her after New Orleans. He wasn't just sweet on her, now. He enjoyed her company above others.

This is how it started with Belladonna. His brow furrowing, he gripped the reins of his horse tight, glad she can't tell how tense he is. When Cupcake naturally eased to a stop, she slid off fluidly and waited for Gambit to slow down. He watched as she took a seat in the grass, her brown leather jacket ruffling in the wind. She still was a bit uptight, but she loosened up a lot in the time she'd spent around him. He can't help but feel honored, knowing it took a lot longer for some.

He slipped out of his trench coat and offered it for them both to sit on. Rogue tried not to let her eyes linger on his growing, shaggy hair. Or, the stubble lining his chin and neck. She swallowed hard, suddenly parched as she rifled a gloved hand through her hair. His looks had a habit of doing that. Remy smirks and she feels the weight of his gaze. Even when he wasn't looking at her, he was watching her. Logan was the same.

He was good at making people feel he had their undivided attention, and he was also good at dividing his attention. It must've been Remy's stealth ways, he was always in tune with the girl's mood and next move. It was nice to be understood. Aside from Logan and Kurt's best efforts, she's never felt so. "Ah'm..." She cleared her throat awkwardly when her voice his small.

He studied the curve of her delicate collar bone. _'Wish it didn't have to be like this...'_ He lamented, wracking his brain for a better solution. He had yet to find one. But, one wave of memories reminds him why he has to do this. "Ah'm glad you came." She was grimacing at the dirt beneath them. His face softened. She's trying harder than usual to express herself, and he admired the effort. "Ah wasn't sure you would." Why wouldn't someone as cool as Remy have better to do?

"What else would Remy do,_ chére_? De others, dey don' get it like ya do. How to... Enjoy a moment fo' what it is." She swore she saw his teeth shine in the sun when he grinned at her. He was so damn charming, even when he wasn't using his mutation. Rogue shrugged, her mouth pressed in a line.

"The professor thinks_ you_ trust me." She said softly, her arms resting comfortably on her knees. Remy had never seen her body hold such little tension, despite being nearly pressed against him on his coat. He took the opportunity to lay an arm around her. Gently, not too fast, either. He felt her tense but she didn't shrug him away, she just continued. "Thinks we're friends... _Ah_ think we're friends. And, Ah learned how to be a friend, here. At the institute. Especially after all the stuff Ah went through with Mystique, all the _betrayal_... Ah didn't believe Ah could have friends. Real ones, like Ah wasn't worthy."

She was sharing with him because that's what friends did. He felt his heart become heavy with guilt and dread. He couldn't help but feel it was a sign. A sign he should stop what he was doing. Flee, spare the girl a heartbreaking death. One that would shatter her school_. 'It been too long to give up now... She always be in danger, never want to be wit me.'_ He thought, desperate to convince himself. How was he supposed to live with himself knowing he would just be added to that list? "So, whatever is goin' on... Even if you don't wanna talk now..." She leaned her hands behind her head. "Ah hope you will tell me, and let me be a friend."

He watched individual blades of grass, his eyes dark. "Remy tell ya all about it, sometime." He promised, standing abruptly without looking at her. "C'mon, les go get dese horses back." She rose and grabbed his coat, hoping that she hadn't said something wrong. But, she'd said everything right.

* * *

Logan arrived back at the mansion about ten minutes after Rogue and Gambit by what he called a 'coincidence'. He grabbed a beer, pleased with the uneventfulness of the day. Then, he remembered Kurt. He heard a shout near the Rec Room and he remembered what he'd also been avoiding. _'Rogue probably don't know yet.'_ He realized. She would not be pleased to find out about Graydon Creed.

When Charles rolled into the kitchen with his face looking long, Logan placed his drink down. "Logan, perhaps y-"

"Course I will." He answered, stalking off and following his nose. He knew a lot about being angry at the world, he wouldn't let one of the institute's brightest lights dim. He frowned when he saw Kurt, angry tears blurring his vision. He really had had the opposite of a family before he came there. Besides Rogue, everything he found out about his family and past was bad.

"I don't vant-"

"I know you don't, elf." Logan sighed, large hands in his pockets. "But unfortunately, neither of us have a choice." His expression softened, even if Kurt didn't look. "We_ gotta_ talk about this."

"Vhy_ them_," He shot back, his eyes shining with an emotion he had never seen the blue mutant hold. "Huh? Can you tell me_ that?_" Logan was silent for a long moment, not even blinking as he watched Kurt. "The most rotten people on-"

"Don't got nothin' to do with_ you,_ though." Logan reminded him firmly. He forced the boy to look him in the eye and angst. Kurt was gentle at heart, even if circumstances were pushing him past his limit. "We are who_ we_ choose to be, just like you've always chose to look at Rogue as your sister. _That's_ what matters. Not Mystique's mistakes, got that?"

Kurt growled (or gave his best impression) in frustration. _"Tell me._" He demanded.

"I-" An explosion rocked the institute from above, sending glasses and pictures shattering to the ground. A few yells and cries were heard, and other startled noises. The slight boy stumbled into Logan's arms, who was already smelling and listening closely. '_NO,'_

"I smell fire. _The roof, hurry!_" The thought of the mansion catching fire making him ill. "Go!"

* * *

Remy tried not to stare as Rogue stretched, determined to get out a newly acquired kink in her back. She had shed her jacket, in just a dark green cami and short black gloves. He studied milky, well toned arms and imagined rubbing his bare fingers against them._ 'Prolly feel like magnolia petals...'_ He mused. The girl sure took long enough whenever she showered. When she could stand his stare no longer, she turned to him. "Remy?"

He was at attention faster than he meant to be. "S'is it, _chére?"_ She rubbed her shoulder with an unintentional pout, one he couldn't help but find adorable.

"Ah think Ah leaned the wrong way, today. Ah feel all.._. Off balance._" His sneer hung off his face as he advanced on her.

"Oh, need _de magic touch, non_?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, not really..." She scowled for good measure. He watched her shift her weight from foot to foot._ 'She embarrassed,'_ He thought, his interest piqued. "Ah know ya charm some of the other girls around the institute." She spoke like she wasn't supposed to know said knowledge, so coy he could barely stand it. "You charmed me the first time we met_, right_?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, _chére._ Remy did." She nodded.

"Ah barely remember..." He stepped back when she moved forward, her face earnest. "Ah usually_ gain_ memories from things, not lose 'em." She met his eyes and he saw a million things in one look. "Would you... Ah mean, if_ ya want_... Ah don't know... Charm me? Logan says Ah'm tense 89% of the time." She chewed her lip. "Maybe it'd help me relax. You _said_ Ah was uptight..."

He reached out with a gloved finger and grabbed a silvery wisp. of Rogue's hair. "Remy sorry for callin' ya uptight,_ petite._" She crossed her arms.

"Ah don't care." She answered defensively, blushing when he chased her stare to prove it._ 'Dis... Dis could be it. If she trust Gambit to charm her, then...'_ Could he do it? He never had the nerve to threaten Belladonna. He thought he was a pretty shit guy, but when it came down to proving that he always chickened out. He thought about the army knife tucked into his pants. Could he outrun Wolverine? He would know, instantly. "Remy charm ya, if ya _want him to."_ He grabbed her neck, affectionately. _'Say no... Please.'_

She nodded, her smile so warm it made his stomach hurt. "Okay. Ah... Trust you." He didn't clock the hesitation, he can't believe she says it. That had been the whole point, but Remy isn't excited. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Ready." She drawled, opening grey eyes to his. She felt the feeling spill over her, slowly. A crawling warmth that immobilized her. It had to be what shooting up felt like. Intoxicating. Drunk. She smiled dopily at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

He couldn't have her in pain or aware. He might kill the girl, but he would give her the most pleasant death he could._ 'Better than dying to sentinels, and Valkyries...'_ He thought bitterly, reaching for his knife. Focused harder on his mutation than he ever had before, certain that Rogue wouldn't feel a thing. She was leaned against him helplessly, her eyes half lidded. Her mouth agape.

Looking around, he pulled the massive knife out. It shined in the light, reflecting out of her eyes. His face was red as sweat dripped down his brow. The tip dangled in front of her naked chest, nearly asleep from his charm. But, he just stood there. '_Do it.'_ He screamed at himself._ 'Do it! Please, spare us both!'_ He snarled at her, a thousand years of suffering coming out as he tried to hurt her. Maim her. It felt wrong. _'This could be your only chance, Remy. Baella...'_

Tears welled in his eyes. if he didn't kill her, he knew the goddess would. And it was him who marked her._ 'I should've just stayed away...'_ He thrust his hand forward but froze when he saw a tear rolling down her cheek. Just one. Even charmed into bliss, she cried. He gasped, the knife clattering to the ground. He swore he heard a sound in the distance, but as far as he could tell they were alone.

She stumbled, looking up at him with a flushed face. "Did'ja do it?" He nodded slowly, terrified she'd remember. "Good. Thanks. Ah feel great." She wondered what he looked so flushed for as she adjusted her tank top, trying not to blush. He smiled lamely, a hand upon her back.

_"Bon,"_ He murmured. "Let's parade de fact dat ya fine in front of Wolv-" A massive explosion interrupted them both from the left side. _Rogue'_s side. Flaming debris scattered everywhere, catching some parts of the mansion on fire.

* * *

_'He's vulnerable, Baella. He's falling for her.'_ Jaesa's furious thoughts exploded into the mutant's head. She was tired of watching this millennia long cycle. It only ended with Baella's pain. She was well aware. She was well versed in Remy, he had come into the situation sweet on Rogue for whatever pitied her or felt guilt. Whichever, he was going to leave this earth before his time._ 'He had her charmed and he didn't kill her. Next, he will try to make her one of us. For what? Let me take them both ou-'_

'_I sent you and Melnaris to spy, not to act'.'_ Baella sent back sternly._ 'Let him give in to that weak heart. Then we shatter it. End of stor-'_

_'I'm tired of seeing you hurt like this, godd-' _This was an understatement. She had given her immortality and the chance to serve her forever. She wanted desperately to see her happy.

'_Enough. Keligon, Jaesa. You will do as I say. It is what you do.'_ Stinging, hot tears burned the winged mutant's eyes. But, she refused to cry.

_'Yes. Your grace.'_ The blonde turned to the fair skinned, red headed Valkyrie beside her. She was broader built than the athletic but nymphy Jaesa. The blonde's best attribute was her speed and marksmanship. She flew and killed like a bullet. Melnaris' channeled fire. Feathers were tied in her fire engine hair, freckles covered every inch of skin not covered by gold plated armor and gold feathers. There was a massive, claymore on her hip.

"What has Baella decided? He almost made himself mortal." Melnaris demanded, anxious to fight. She wasn't immortal like General Jaesa, but if she accomplished her mission she was sure that'd be her reward. The sand colored Valkyrie grinned.

"I will return to her. But you, attack them. Hurt the girl, make Remy _pay_." Melanaris cracked her knuckles, menacingly.

"On it." Her specialty was fire, Jaesa knew that Rogue wouldn't survive._ 'Baella will be too excited, too relieved to be mad.'_ She watched as she took off to the sky.

* * *

Remy's head rang as he tried to look around him and remember what he'd been doing, previously. Only pain met him instead of knowledge, a shooting anguish traveling down his spine. He coughed, rubbing his eyes when his vision is doubled. Then, he groaned at the prospect of moving. Being immortal sucked. His chest squeezed tight when he remembered Rogue. She had been there. The blast hit _her_, and _she's_ not immortal. _'NO,'_ He coughed again, rolling over on cracked and broken plaster.

He tried to see through the gathering smoke from the starting fires. This wasn't Jaesa's doing, this was something else entirely. "_ROGUE,"_ He shouted, looking around for their assailant. He felt his heart jump when he didn't see her. Where was she? He heard a cackling, but he didn't see from who. He cried out when he saw a figure laying still in the darkness. He raced through the smog, doing his best to protect her from inhaling lethal smoke. There was no way to tell how much she'd already breathed in.

She's still and quite pale, making the man tremble fiercely as he wonders if she's died for nothing. "_Chére... Chére,_ please hang on." He threw his jacket over her face and whipped out his staff, straining to see who had come to the mansion. He felt like he might cry when he saw her twitch slightly in a cough. A red haired Valkyrie appeared amongst the rubble. He cursed in french.

_"She's_ supposed to be the mutant that defeated Apocalypse..." She wasn't Jaesa, but she was definitely sent from Baella. She followed him everywhere.

_"What did you do?_" Remy screamed, his hand clasped tightly in Rogue's slack one. She only chuckled.

"What a goddess asked. Before you ruin _everything."_ She lifted her sword and it lit aflame, her face impassive. "Prepare to die." The smell of brimstone interrupted her attack, Logan, Ororo, and Kurt all dropping onto the roof in shock. The weather goddess let out a startled cry when she sees and smells the fire, sees Remy hunched over what looked like a _body_ under his coat. Logan began yelling, but Kurt can feel himself dissociating from his body. His only family worth a damn had been attacked. _'Rogue... No, she can't be...'_

_"'Ro!"_ Logan screamed desperately, his claws out. He's struggling to get his wits about him as he tried to comprehend what he's seeing. "Rain!" She didn't make a declaration like normal, she rose to the sky and howled, fiercely as sheets of rain pelted them. The institute was no longer in danger of burning, but Melnaris' flames still burned on her sword.

"My flames go out for none." She flipped the weapon with ease. When the danger of smoke was eliminated by nature, Remy peeled back his coat and examined Rogue as giant raindrops pelted her. There was a bleeding cut on her head, lacerations and soot marks lining her left side. Blood trickled down her nostril from the sheer force of the blast. Fearfully, he placed a hand on her neck and felt. Her pulse was weak, but there. As were her breaths. She needed medical attention, not to be in a Valkyries clutches. He straightened her head out with a shaking hand.

"_Chére_," He pleaded, a lump in his throat rising. "Wake up."

Logan didn't care what he had to do, this chick was going down. But, Ororo began yelling when Kurt rushed past him. He was mad. Livid. And, he wasn't thinking straight after the news he'd gotten. He couldn't see Rogue hurt, not now. _"Vhat did you do?_" He cried, swinging wildly for the winged woman. Tears stained his face as he thrashed, finally fed up with the day he was having.

"KURT, WHAT'RE YOU DOIN-" Logan shrieked, rushing forward to keep him from getting killed. When Melnaris lifted her massive sword, he teleported, jabbing and swiping at her from behind. When she swung again, he did the same thing, trying to grab her and teleport her into something. Kurt had never battled anyone like this.

"Impressive." When Kurt landed on the roof an explosion sounded off right beside him. Logan pushed him just in time, eating the blast. Kurt shouted as the burns and cuts rapidly heal, still shocking him.

"You're_ angry_," Logan bit through the pain, frantic to get to Rogue and heal her before it was too late. "Don't do something you and _everyone else r_egret." Tears shone in his eyes as Ororo lowered beside him. Screaming, Logan launched himself for the red head and lashed violently. When he landed on the roof, he kept running right to Remy's side. He was shaking in the rain, terrified that she was slipping away as he watched. He tried to breathe, but his chest was pulled too tight. He tried again, and Logan heard his strangled cry.

"Not_ again_..."

"She's gonna be okay, Gambit." Logan mumbled more to himself, than him. She had to be. He glared at the Valkyrie as she stalked towards them, sword drawn. "_C'mon,_ honey. Take my healing factor." A shaking, bare hand covered half her face. Willing her to heal. Live. _"Marie,"_ Logan begged when the sword lit aflame. He screamed when Gambit rose, hurling most of his charged deck at the mutant. She recoiled, instinctively.

He continued his assault, not acknowledging the tears gathering in his eyes. Rogue had probably been killed by a rookie Valkyrie. All because of him and his curse. She held up reflective wrist cuff, hissing as Remy rained hits upon her with his staff.

"WINDS, GUIDE ME!" Ororo screamed, pushing the winged warrior back with great effort. Logan looked down when Rogue coughed, her veins showing dark blue under her skin. The burns and cuts started to slowly disappear, Logan forcing himself to endure her mutation for her wellbeing. She coughed again, her lungs feeling collapsed by smog and soot. She whimpered, grabbing onto Logan's arm.

_"Lo-"_ She rasped, her arms flailing. He fell to one arm, weak and light headed from her absorption. What was going on?

"D-Damn..." He grunted, Ororo crying out. He covered his face with his hand hand and tried to regather himself.

"Say goodnight." Melnaris snarled, Remy tossed across the lawn. She raised her weapon and prepared to strike both Rogue and an incapacitated Logan when he leapt up at the last moment from playing possum. His claws traveled, all the way through her heart. Her very mortal heart. It took twenty seconds for her to go white, her eyes anchored on Logan's unapologetic face.

"You picked a bad time_, red_." He snarled, the name rolling off his tongue with surprising hostility. Melnaris only groaned, collapsing to the ground. "Everyone gets one chance. But, I _don'_t promise any more." She collapsed dead at his feet as he panted, listening in quietly to Rogue's resuming breaths. Kitty, Piotr, Jean and Scott were all approaching on the horizon as Remy examined Rogue.

She'd taken Logan's healing factor and was perfectly fine (albeit pale), staring back at him. He cupped her face and just watched her, carefully. Making sure she went nowhere. Even if he planned to kill her, he'd been terrified.

"H-_Hey!_" Kitty screamed as Kurt ran to Rogue's side.

"Everyone okay?" Jean tried, sensing her boyfriends rising panic as he saw the seemingly dead body, a near inconsolable Ororo, and the roof _and_ Rogue covered in soot.

"W-_What._.. Wolverine, what_ happened?_" Scott's shocked eyes met his.

"I saved her life." He answered, actually wondering where these winged mutants were from and what they wanted with Rogue. "This is the _second_ mutant like Angel to attack us, _her_ specifically." He shot his claws out and growled savagely, his animosity clear to see. "I want some answers. Now."

"Apocalypse." Remy said quietly from beside Rogue. He fiddled with a card in his fingers. He felt guilty when she started trembling. "Dese mutants are Apocalypse loyalists. She said somethin' about him." Jean and Scott exchanged concerned stares.

"No, he's not_ back_... Is he?" Kurt half screamed. He couldn't go through that again with everything else. Even though Rogue had just almost died, she felt concerned for Kurt. He wasn't acting like himself. He was frantic and frenzied, even for the event. She coughed again and caught his attention.

"Remy don't t'ink so... But dey fixated on her. Obsessed 'cause she defeat him." All eyes turned to Rogue, who was rubbing her temple. Logan's psyche was always wild at first. Scott folded his arms.

"Just what we need." He sighed.


	8. Penance

They had no idea what they did. They'd killed one of Baella's Valkyries. If Rogue had been in danger before, it was _nothing_ compared to now. Nothing would stop Baella until the X-Men as a whole paid, dearly. He sat across the infirmary as she peered worriedly into her blue brother's face. Something was up with him. He was reminding her of the feral she'd just absorbed.

Tense, his face dark and brooding, and pressed close to the girl like he was worried about something, he just stood. "Kurt..." She removed the mask providing her lungs with a steroid breathing treatment.

_"Anna,_ your treatment." Hank answered firmly as he monitored her vitals. She glowered but obeyed, if Hank told Logan she was being difficult in the medbay she'd never leave his sight.

"What's goin' on, Kurt? Somethin' happened while we were out?" Rogue struggled to articulate, taking a deep breath when Hank frowned at her. Kurt's eyes dropped to the sterile tile of the floor.

"You mean_, besides_ vhen you got blown up by some voman?" He met her eyes reluctantly. Someone, maybe a whole race of mutants were after her. His own half brother was after her. Maybe, being front row on the X-Men wasn't the best idea for her. She was his only viable family left, and all he wanted to do was just protect her. "This is the second attack in days,_ schwester._ This is serious, tell me you'll take it serious."

Now, he was really starting to nag her seriously. With a sigh, Hank removed the equipment so they could talk. Remy had picked up that they were close and considered each other siblings, but he _really_ considered her his family. Probably more so than Mystique. "What's the matter? What's got ya all jazzed up, Kurt? Ah can't take it."

He folded his arms, unusually obstinate. "The... The professor told me something." Remy noted the girl's complexion pale, even further. She had never seen her kid brother so serious, so burdened. She leaned forward and waited for him to speak. "Graydon Creed and I... Ve... Ve share a mother._ Our_ mother." Remy flinched when Rogue inhaled, sharply.

_"No,"_ She answered instinctually, the room beginning to tilt at the onset of her anxiety attack. "No.. That can't..."

_"Victor Creed_ is his father." Rogue threw the sheet from around her, regretting it when she got a head rush. Remy chose that moment to stand, awkwardly.

"Maybe y'don' be movin' too much, _petite._" He suggested, eyeing her wearily. He hates to remember that if Logan had been off the campus, she would've died.

"Ah'll kill him myself," She murmured, staring into Kurt's eyes. "If he _eve-"_

"I'm vorried about you! He targeted you vith that collar, he vants to use you to start mutant legislation, Rogue! If he ever finds out that I... _And you_," He buried his face in curious, two fingered hands. Rogue watched in shock as he screamed in into his hands. He only had the power to run away, not fight powerful mutants. He just wanted to take her somewhere safe. "Of all the people to share blood vith,_ not you_... Graydon..." She grabbed his arm when his voice cracked. Rogue didn't get sappy often, but she hated seeing Kurt cry.

Even through Apocalypse, he was cracking jokes until the end. She could see how this was already affecting him, and it broke her heart. "Hey," She told him, moisture gathering in her own grey eyes. "You _know_ better than to think like that. What have ya told me, Kurt? We are family. _That's_ what matters." He wiped at his face in embarrassment, neither of them caring that Remy watched. "Not Graydon... Not Mystique." He sniffed.

"I'm_ scared_. Just another person who vants to to hurt either of us." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So? We're used to it. And... We got Logan, and Scott. And Jean, and Kitty, and Ororo, the professor. Hank. Remy-" He felt his stomach drop, she even believed that he would be there to support them through this. _'She thinks too much o'moi...'_ He shifted uncomfortably. "We don't have to face any of this alone. We have people to protect us. And, we have _each other."_

Kurt nodded slowly, not used to hearing his sister be the optimistic one. It was strange, but welcomed. "Yeah, I know. I ju-" She surprised him further by pulling him into a tight embrace.

"It'll be_ okay,_ Kurt. That's what Logan always tells me." He batted at his eyes as he held her tight, wondering if he ever thought they'd be there.

"C'mon, elf. Let's let Stripe get some rest. She's gonna need some sessions in the morning to deal with _my_ baggage." Logan stood in the doorway, his face grim even though he'd saved the girl's life. He didn't wish his memories on anyone, and he always felt guilt that she had them. "You too, cajun. She's in good hands with Hank." He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets as Remy shuffled towards the door.

_"Bonne nuit, chére. Reposez-vous bien."_ He tucked her gloved hand in his before he took off.

"Oyasumi." Rogue responded more out of Logan's psyche than her own. She sighed as the infirmary emptied, leaving her to her cloudy thoughts. Thoughts of test tubes and claws.

* * *

Logan sighed, stealing a look at the younger, blue mutant. The Creed news had really shaken him up, but he understood now why Charles told him. If he ever found out on his own, it could break the team apart. He, like his sister, would not tolerate betrayal._ "Sure_ you're alright, kid?" He asked, watching him closely. He reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. Kurt stared as he set it on the table, seemingly for him.

He took advantage of the rare moment and opened the can, having never tried it before. He knocked it back and sputtered, causing Logan to laugh. The German smiled wearily. _"T-Thank_ you." He feebly pushed it back on the counter. "Think I might just get some rest. I'm okay, I think." He sighed when he walked past, but turned back with a tired smile. "I'm not alone."

Logan watched in satisfaction as he disappeared upstairs. _'No, elf. You aren't._' He picked up the full beer and took a swig, pausing when Kitty entered the kitchen.

"Mr. Logan!" She chirped.

"What's up, half-pint?" He called, reaching for the newspaper. He dropped the beer when her form changed into that of Mystique's. _"You-"_

"Silence." She hissed, a narrow hand up. "I came to talk about my_ daughter_ and her safety!" He was already rubbing his temples. The nerve of this woman, especially after her narrowly foiled plot that would've caused a war between the X-Men and The Avengers. She still felt entitled to a space in Rogue's life. She still all but ignored her biological child. He was sick of it.

"Mystique, you _promised_ to back off. Of both of them, after Apocalypse." He tried to keep his voice from shaking. He didn't fall into rages, anymore. But, the shapeshifter set him close. She'd hurt Kurt and Rogue too many times.

"And I promised to as long as _you oafs_ accurately protect her." She snapped, muscled arms folded over her chest. She never was quite right after Magneto evolved her. She was a mess before, but her instability was front and center after. And, her children paid the price. "You aren't doing your job-"

_"Raven,_" Logan snarled. "I'm not-"

"You'd let Gambit around her?" His face went even, watching the blue woman very carefully. Every word out of her mouth had an agenda, and his job was to figure out what that was.

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Logan stroked his chin, the ghost of a sneer on his face. Mystique bared her teeth in an act of frustrated aggression.

"I know you are dumb, Howlett. But, not_ this_ dumb. I saw them-"

"While you were spying here,_ without_ our knowledge or consent?" He bit out, pressing dangerously close to her. Oh, if she wasn't Kurt's mother. She'd been riding that wave of generosity for years. And Logan was getting tired of that.

"Paying more attention to Anna than _you_!" Hearing her name come out of her mouth makes the claws come out. Mystique is no longer scared of them, she knows Logan too well. If he was going to gut her he would've done it already. "She is in danger!"

"How, huh? What do you have to do with it?"

_She nodded, her smile so warm it made his stomach hurt. "Okay. Ah... Trust you." He didn't clock the hesitation, he can't believe she says it. That had been the whole point, but Remy isn't excited. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Ready." She drawled, opening grey eyes to his. She felt the feeling spill over her, slowly. A crawling warmth that immobilized her. It had to be what shooting up felt like. Intoxicating. Drunk. She smiled dopily at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist._

_He couldn't have her in pain or aware. He might kill the girl, but he would give her the most pleasant death he could. 'Better than dying to sentinels, and Valkyries...' He thought bitterly, reaching for his knife. Focused harder on his mutation than he ever had before, certain that Rogue wouldn't feel a thing. She was leaned against him helplessly, her eyes half lidded. Her mouth agape._

_Looking around, he pulled the massive knife out. It shined in the light, reflecting out of her eyes. His face was red as sweat dripped down his brow. The tip dangled in front of her naked chest, nearly asleep from his charm. But, he just stood there. 'Do it.' He screamed at himself. 'Do it! Please, spare us both!' He snarled at her, a thousand years of suffering coming out as he tried to hurt her. Maim her. It felt wrong. 'This could be your only chance, Remy. Baella...'_

_Tears welled in his eyes. if he didn't kill her, he knew the goddess would. And it was him who marked her. 'I should've just stayed away...' He thrust his hand forward but froze when he saw a tear rolling down her cheek. Just one. Even charmed into bliss, she cried. He gasped, the knife clattering to the ground. He swore he heard a sound in the distance, but as far as he could tell they were alone._

"He... He did that thing to her. He _charmed_ her, and then..." Now it was Mystique who pressed back against the Weapon X project. "He pressed a knife to her breast. Who sent her, what contract is he under? Who have you let near my daughter!" She screeched, batting at the man weakly with her wrists. Even he was shocked by the lengths that Mystique would go. She seemed to have no shame.

_Remy was shaking in the rain, terrified that she was slipping away as he watched. He tried to breathe, but his chest was pulled too tight. He tried again, and Logan heard his strangled cry._

_"Not again..."_

_"She's gonna be okay, Gambit." Logan mumbled more to himself, than him. She had to be. _

"It eats ya alive, doesn't it?" His cold, black eyes caught hers and forced her to look back. "She_ forgave_ him. He deceived her, stole her, lied to her... Just like you." She gripped her fists tight in black, leather gloves.

"Did you hear a single fucking word I just said?" She demanded.

"Oh yeah, I hear your desperation. _Smell it,_ too. Rogue should hate him for that, but she doesn't. In fact, she's moving past it and helping him be a better person." He wasn't moved when the woman squealed in frustration. It was going in one ear and out the other. "I'm not the cajun's biggest fan, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I listen to anything that comes out _you_r mouth." He folded his arms for an added finality.

"You protect my daughter, or _I will._" He sees a quiet, insane rage in her eye. Logan didn't know what had gotten into her, but he'd keep her away at all costs.

"I am protecting her. From you." She flinched when he raised his claws. "Get out." Glaring, she transformed into a bird and flew out an open window. Shocked, Logan stared down at his spilled beer. _'What am I going to do...'_ He followed his nose to the roof, the same spot he also stole away to smoke. The cajun tensed when he realized Logan had appeared on the roof.

He made a move to leave but the stout man held up a hand. "No, stay." The tall man shrank himself as Wolverine approached him. "I need a favor, cajun. A serious one. One I hope I'm not wrong for asking." Rogue trusted him, for whatever reason. And he was starting to see the positive influence Jean had mentioned. He had to double down and support it, Rogue needed it. "Mystique was in there. Just now."

Remy's posture changed immediately, stiffening as he searched Logan's face. "_What?_"

"Yeah. She's scheming. She's up to something..." He met Remy's black and red eyes for a long moment. "Rogue and Kurt, they can't handle this, right now. Look out for them. Rogue, the most. She senses that we're weak, she'll try something. I _know_ she will." The New Orlean's mutant stared over the campus grounds. Even he was beginning to trust him with Rogue. He couldn't describe how unworthy he felt.

"Yes." Is all he says, his nails digging into his palms. "Remy already promised to d'so, on de bayou." He forced himself to meet Logan's black eyes. "Remy keep an eye on her." Logan nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"She's a good kid," Remy watched as he sighed. "People are always trying to get to her, _hurt her_." He met his stare again, his tone softer than Remy ever imagined it could be. "If you want to stop that, too... I'll let you be by her side. Remy. But, I can only give one chance on this." He was looking at his knuckles, but his claws weren't out. "She can't handle anymore betrayal."

Remy remembers her eyes, sitting in the grass and his stomach twists. "Remy understands." Logan rose.

"Good." Remy kept his breathing under control until he was well out of earshot.

* * *

_He was a dark skinned mutant, with white dreads as soft as cotton. He was the first mutant to control the skies, and he knew that Apocalypse and Baella's ways would be the end of them all. "You must do it Remy, no other is stealthy as you." _

_It was twisted. How would he get her to fall for him just to take her most powerful possession? To stop her from being the mutant queen she wanted to be. "You touch her, Remy. You remind her of a time before her blood turned silver. Before she lived forever..." He stood, shirtless in the sand. His fists clutched. Why him. He didn't want any of it. To live forever. To rule forever. _

_"Ah ca-" _

_"You have to. If she places that armor on and marches... It's over."_

Baella's hand struck Jaesa in the face, black makeup running down her face. This wasn't like her. The winged mutant always listened. She was who Baella trusted most. They stood, in a cave filled with glowing amethyst. "How _dare_ you disobey me!" Jaesa's eyes watered involuntarily as Baella lifted her hand, again. "Do you _see_? What've you've done? Melnaris is-" She left out a sob, shoving the Valkyrie away from her. "I did not make you my general for this."

The sand colored woman stuttered to her knees, forcing her face to be impassive. "Forgive me, your gra-"

"The others are not you. They cannot handle your missions, dealing with Remy's lovers. And, I ordered you to return. Your insolence _killed your sister!_" Jaesa winced when her voice rose an octave. "Swear your loyalty, your undying fealty to me! Swear it. Now." The blonde shook.

_"I swear it,_ your grace." Baella's breath shuddered, her short hair disheveled.

"Now, rise." She examined the red, whining skin of her cheek she'd struck. Jaesa didn't flinch when she reached out to touch it. "You have to make this right, Tikun. My way." She held her hands together and an image formed. "You will take the girl and drop her off, here. To the Friends Of Humanity." Jaesa nodded.

"Yes, goddess."

* * *

Scott arched an eyebrow, examining his slightly paler than usual teammate. _"Sure_ you feel up to a Danger Room session? Logan says you ca-" Rogue huffed, and Remy chuckled as she crossed her arms. She sure got cabin fever, easy. But, he sobered a little when he imagined how much of her time had been given to the medbay.

"Ugh, Scott. Ah spent two days in the infirmary bein' monitored. Ah can do a lil' workout." She insisted, her brow furrowed. Jean smiled smugly when he held out his hands. "Your courses ain't that hard, anyway. Not compared to Logan's..."

"Okay, okay. _Sheesh._" He placed his hands on his hips.

"Told ya so." Jean can't help but gloat as she walks to join the other members. He stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend before addressing the group.

"Okay, guys. We're gonna do a sentinel course. Remember, we need to get a B grade or we're doing it over." Scott smirked at the resounding groans and whines as he turned around. Logan had taught him everything he knew about running the training courses. "Start simulation." He set his face and leaned over, ready to begin.

_"End simulation!"_ Ororo's voice called over the intercom. Kitty, Jean, Kurt, Piotr, Bobby, and Amara all burst into murmurs. "Team, there is someth-" An explosion rattled the Danger Room, and Logan was sent launched into the basement. Whipping a massive, black and gold warhammer around her, Jaesa revealed herself in the smoldering crater, golden armor covering her chest.

Logan was climbing back to his feet, both Scott and Kurt staring wide eyed as the angel unfurled her wings, a sneer on her face. "Little man, big entertainment." She hissed, her green eyes falling on Rogue. "But, he's not who I'm here for."

Rogue ripped both of her gloves off, her face red. This was getting old, fast. They wanted a fight, they could get one. "Y'got a bone to pick, chick? Let's danc-"

"Rogue!" Logan snapped angrily, the contusions and bruises on his face healing. Remy threw his staff in front of her, anxious to keep her from harm's way. _'Nothing will stop her... She's like me.'_

"Watch it, dey worship Apocalypse." He demanded, his eyes crazed. Melnaris had nearly killed Rogue, but Jaesa_ would._

"X-Men,_ let's go!_" Scott yelled, shooting a blast with his visor. Jaesa flew out of the way with ease, her stare still locked on Rogue._ 'What did Ah do... What do they want with me?'_ She tried to jump into the fight, but Remy blocked her move.

"Careful," He snapped. He knew she was either there to kill her or take her. Piotr ran forward, preparing to truck the slender woman with his metal hide. One swing of her hammer sent him flying across the room, through Kitty and into Kurt.

"Kurt!_ Sorry!_" She called out, knowing how much it hurt to be hit with Piotr. Jean held her head and focused, trying with all her might to infiltrate the strange mutant's mind. Her signature was like none she'd ever felt before. Her mind was a black hole. She didn't even sense feelings._ 'What are you?'_

"She's immune to psychics, guys." She reported with frustration.

"I serve the first psychic. _Foolis_h girl." Jaesa clutched a fist and Jean was sent flying across the Danger Room and into Logan, screaming.

"JEAN," Scott bellowed, emptying another blast at the Valkyrie. Rogue's head whipped around, desperate to keep up with the chaos and so angry with herself for not being able to help. All she knew that Remy was anchored by her side. Logan leapt for the woman again, his teeth bared viciously. Again, like he was a tee ball, she sent him rocketing into the wall with a slam.

_"Logan!"_ Rogue called out, ducking as the panels of the Danger Room flew off the wall.

"LIGHTNING... WINDS..." Ororo floated in the entrance of the basement, her white hair splaying around her. "GUIDE ME!" She shot lightning toward Jaesa, but the energy ricocheted and hit the lights, sending the room into darkness.

"Oops." The Valkyrie laughed as Ororo began to pant and panic, her wild energy shooting across the room.

"No..._ NO,_" Winds began to whip violently as everyone struggled not to lose control of the situation.

" 'Ro! You're okay, 'Ro! Listen to me!" Logan shouted into the darkness, praying the generators kicked in for this very reason. She could easily freak and drown them all. Jean began to glow with an orange light, helping with some of the dark but not all. Ororo was in full panic mode, flying above the ceiling like a trapped bug.

"NO, _RELEASE_ ME!" Sheets of rain and wind pummeled them all.

"Storm!" Kitty shouted, Remy shoving both her and Rogue out of the way of lightning. Her bellows filled the room as winds battered the walls. The lights finally returned but the damage was done, Jaesa took advantage of the chaos and flew to where Remy, Rogue and Kitty sat on the ground. Soaked from Ororo's storming. Before he could stop her, Rogue jumped to her feet.

"ANNA, DON-" She swung for the Valkyrie, her gusto even shocking Jaesa. She backed up, dodging each skillfully thrown punch and elbow, even a flip.

"You have a warrior's spirit, God Slayer. I'll give you that." She unfurled her wings and a flap sent Rogue sprawling into the way, unmoving. "But Goddess Baella is _forever."_ She knocked an arrow despite Remy's screams. The arrow opened into a net that did not pierce her, but captured her. Rogue twitched, realizing that she was about to be taken for the millionth time.

"Rogue!" Scott screamed, running as fast as his legs would take him, Jean flying over head. Logan ripped from Ororo's side to shred the net.

_"STRIPE,_" Jaesa grabbed her carefully, noting her skin as she took to the sky.

_"The goddess smiles."_ Remy stuttered to his feet and ran, vaulting on his sturdy staff, desperate to keep Rogue from being carried off to Baella.

"ROGUE,"

"REM-" She reached her bare hand through the net, but Jaesa flapped her wings. Remy crashed back into Scott, and she flew through the subsequent floors above them. Logan stood, staring at the crumbling holes in shock. They had no idea who these people were or what they really wanted with Rogue. They had started showing up when Remy had, Logan wasn't able to ignore that. He prayed as he steadied his breathing, that Mystique wasn't right.

"W-What happened..." Kitty began, Piotr peering down worriedly at the small mutant. She was shaking like a leaf, her blue eyes staring at the holes Rogue was dragged through. The Russian pulled her close to him, knowing she was scared. Scott pulled Kurt up slowly, still dizzy from Piotr slamming into him.

"Please, Wagner. Forgive Piotr." He stared at the rubble, his sneaking suspicion confirmed. Rogue had been taken, and they didn't even know by who. Scott was looking around, becoming more and more frantic when he realized he couldn't spot Amara. '_Was she buried underneath something? Oh, god...'_

"Amara..." Scott called out, his panic making Jean's eyes water. "A-Amara? Magma? _Say something!"_ Logan felt his blood run ice cold, tearing through rubble until his hands were raw.

"_C'mon, Brazil._ Say somethin'..." He panted, praying she was okay.

"Uh, hello?" Everyone looked up to see Tabitha standing beside a very frazzled Amara. "She says the professor locked her in a utility closet? _Gnarly_." Logan growled into his knuckles.

_"Mystique_ locked you in a closet. Amara was never in the session." Scott looked around him, his fists shaking by his side.

"This means war." He seethed, stomping through the debris while Jean followed.

"Everyone," Logan snarled. "Get to the jet."


End file.
